Sometimes when I’m writing really well, the material of my first draft has almost completely disappeared by the time of the final result. Many years ago a writer friend taught me an important lesson: I had shown her something I’d just written. Her response was “This is good, but it’s ‘scaffolding.’ Now re-write and re-write so you can begin to see what real work grows underneath or behind it - then you get rid of the scaffolding.” As often happens when we’re receiving an important lesson, my first response was to feel upset (even insulted). But she had given me a wonderful gift.