Threeific


   I write a segment, then the second look fixes it, and the third look pulls it together. Often there are other edits after that, but 3 glances seals the scene, and brings me to the place where I decide, 'yes, this segment is what I want,' or 'no! This isn't right!' 
   Sometimes it takes three tries before I find the correct ending to my novel too. I luxuriate in the freedom to say, 'no, there's more I want to happen at the end, and therefore more that I want my story to be'. So when I write, I need to be willing to expand, to open possibilities, until I can read my story and be certain, 'this is right!'
   Once I finish my novel, and have edited it in all it's parts, I then set myself to read it three times. This is where I make certain I can get lost in the story, that I don't have to stop and get hitched at bad grammar or a clunky sentence. But I don't go on editing forever. Three read-throughs is enough.