I’ve nearly finished a story that has been difficult to write (it seems like I’ve been writing a lot of difficult stories recently). The subject matter is dark and the emotions in the story strike dangerously close to home for me. I have put down the story many times since I started it, yet I’m always drawn back to it because it’s a story I feel compelled to finish.
I’ve been working on it for over a year—tinkering, shaping, carefully molding it into something I hope is special. I recently sent it to my writing group for critique and got some helpful feedback. It’s nearly there…I think. I keep telling myself, “One more pass and it’ll be done,” but always, one more thing seems to need revisiting. I’m sure it’s close now, just one more pass…
D. Thomas Minton 
I have a bad habit of revising my stories to the point that I can’t stand the sight of them anymore. It seems the ones people like best are the ones I let go of sooner. Perhaps it’s possible to over-nurture and stifle a work of fiction just as a child.
You’re right that you can revise the life out of story. Fortunately, I’ve gotten a lot better at telling when I it’s time to stop—sometimes that’s after a single revision; sometimes it’s after a half-dozen revisions. This story isn’t there yet. Maybe I’ll wind up strangling it…I hope not, after all this effort.
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