We all know the first draft is only a starting point. Rewriting isn’t just inevitable, it’s essential. (That said, if the first draft is too flimsy, it’ll collapse under the weight of revisions, and all that’ll be left is a shapeless heap of bits and pieces. And no rewrite will ever save it.) Among the tools of rewriting: the scissors. We cut what sticks out, what weighs things down, what repeats or doesn’t belong ("kill your darlings"). We make space so the story can b