revision needs many voices

Revision is a test of patience and endurance. If you fail this test, your writing will be under-cooked, not ready for public consumption. 

Have you ever disliked a book or a movie or a song before liking it later? If so, it's probably because from day to day you are a different person in a different place in a different time. Your moods change. You change.

One key to revision is to keep cutting, shifting, adding and tweaking your text until you are consistently happy with it across many days and moods. Until the many versions of you are satisfied with the words you've put on the page.

So consider the following:

Have you revised when you're feeling bored?

Have you revised when you're feeling happy?

Have you revised when you're feeling sad?

Have you revised at all hours of the night and day?

Have you revised according to your tastes and convictions?

Have you revised with others in mind? (Have you recruited beta readers? They won't all agree, but some of them who are not your mom should be pretty darn smitten by your story.)

 If not, you're not done revising. Not if you want to maximize your chances of bringing joy to readers everywhere.

Once you have listened and revised according to these many voices of revision, congratulations! You are ready to submit your work to agents and/or editors. Let the waiting game begin. (By which I mean, start writing that next story!)