Editing

Today I am trying to write one paper, edit another, then I have things to translate and edit over the weekend. I hate to be rushed on these sorts of projects, because actually, it is a really complicated task. Not to get the words on paper, that is not such a big deal. The issue is rather to weigh through all of what has been written, and to carefully think about how each point relates to the other, which points need to be emphasized, which made less bombastic, where to put more care and feeling, where to put more methodological rigor, where to use a metaphor, where to scale it back and be subtle. Editing a paper is like directing a play, arguing a legal case, and painting a painting all at the same time, and many things must be considered. 

Not since I was an undergraduate have I just deleted a whole paper and started over, even if that is tempting. Because there is always good ideas in the first draft, always. 

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