Rewriting: The part of writing I dread

Some of you know that both Ward and I are writers (amateur, largely unpublished) with dreams of one day writing the Great American Novel (by which I mean "a novel published in America which sells a few copies to people we don't know, who enjoy it"). We have very different styles, and very different work styles. I tend to ruminate an idea for months, and then put it down on paper in a flurry of activity... and then wait more months before anything else goes down. Ward tends to write, then rewrite, then rewrite some more - honing the story each time into a sharper, better form. As you can tell from my style, I hate rewriting. I don't mind doing basic word edits (let's use "crimson" or "vermillion" instead of "red") but larger rewrites are something I dread. I'd rather put aside a finished first draft and get on with writing something else flawed, but new. (This may be why I am still unpublished... or it may be that I have rarely, if ever, actually submitted anything to a magazine or publishing house.)

If you are like me, this article may be a real help to you. It lays out the reasons and methodologies of the Rewrite. And explains why it is important to the process.