I'm a firm believer that writing is rewriting. I have to because I miss things - grammar, double-word, passive voice, homonymic misspellings, etc, so I need people to catch those. But there are also the deeper needs to rewrite - realizations about your character (consistency, motivations, voice, maybe even need to change out) as well as plot, pacing issues.
Every writer knows they need to rewrite several times, but doesn't it become a repetitive exercise? It can if what you are rewriting makes it different, not better.
I've been working on my novel now for over 18 months and it has changed in several significant ways:
1. I changed from first-person to third-person
2. I changed my character from immediate 3rd person to more expository, telling the story after a couple of years
3. I changed out my main character
4. I changed my title 3x
5. I changed out the plot elements - background, nature of the alien enemy, etc.
6. I changed the voice of the main characters to be more consistent
The list goes on and on. But to be clear, oftentimes these came out of critiques from fellow writers in my writers group and my own realizations.
I have friends who become very frustrated when I say, "well I was editing last night..."
The say, "When are you going to stop rewriting and just finish it?"
I realize I am a perfectionist, which can be dangerous in terms of procrastination.
However, I also believe better is better. But different is not always better. That some people aren't into your story doesn't mean you have to change it, either.
Now I'm using two different writer's group - my first is more eclectic, my second more focused on SF - and getting good perspectives out of both, cross-pollinating my craft and my novel.
So, until it goes into the hands of the editor who publishes it or tells me, in the case of self-publishing, to move forward, I intend to unashamedly move forward with making it better. When it is only different and I feel "I've given it everything I've got," then I'll stop rewriting.
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