Writing a story: when to revise

 You've written about a chapter of your book. You decide to go back to make some corrections. You keep doing this every few pages. Uh-oh, if you have to make all of these corrections your story just isn't good enough, so you quit. Sound familiar? I think I might have some ideas to help.

These suggestions are just for people who have tried everything and this is their last resort to finally getting past chapter one. It worked for me and hopefully it will work for you. Every writer is different, so these may not be any help. But they're here if you need them.

• The Plot: Forget about the plot! If you are expecting to write about a big exciting thing that's going to happen on page 137, chances are the people who bought your book are expecting to read about it. Frankly, planning out the entire plot of the story just makes it too predictable. "Go with the flow" is a good  way to put it. Let the characters and events lead you through the story, instead of you leading them. 
• Deceiving Yourself: You may think something like: "I think I may have this character's name  wrong, I should go back and check." DON'T!!! Your just thinking that because you want to read what you've written and see how good it is. If you really care that much if the random girl's name is Jan or Jane, you can make a little side note. Or if the writing program you use doesn't have that, use a piece of notebook paper and make notes as worries come to mind. 
• When to Revise: Revise when you're all done! Don't freak yourself about if the story is any good, or if your characters are described well or whatever. I think you can wait. If you MUST have it revised right away, have a friend do it for you.