"Although revision is essential to writing, readers only see the final draft, leaving the practice shrouded in mystery. Peter Ho Davies addresses this invisibility by examining his own work, alongside classic and contemporary authors, while also reaching beyond literature to film adaptations and retconning. And a story about his father--told and retold across the book--serves as impetus for the exhilarating conclusion that it is not just the writing, but the writer, who must change"--Page 4 of cover.