Revisions are translations

Yes, it's after midnight. I need to go to bed! But the best brainwaves come as you're shutting down for the night, and ooh, I think I know what to add in the first section of my book that will address a couple of reader concerns. I really, really want to dive in! But I know I will crash tomorrow if I do that, and lose it. It's hard to turn off the mind and make it sleep, but I'm not a night person (and my kids tend to be 24-hour people), and if I don't rest the head, I'll mangle the idea. So I'll just end with a thought about revision.

I've mentioned this before, but I love reading filmmakers' comments on translating a book into a movie. I've done translation in a variety of settings before, and know the difficulty of turning one medium into another while keeping the heart and intent of the original. It's a skill I find useful in revising, too. Can I add a completely new scene to this story and make it work? Can I take my intent in this section and turn it into a different set of words that hits the heart of what I mean while condensing the length? Can I strip away the chaff and make the heart of my book shine? I'd love to read more filmmaker comments on things like this. It just seems so relevant to what I'm doing right now. So to all those revising, I wish you happy translating!