“Begin at the beginning," the King said, very gravely,
"and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
~Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Behold the revision pen.
An excellent marker of progress.
Grey for the first full read-through.
Green for the second.
Then orange for the third.
Sometimes, with so many notes in one color,
the favorite pen won't make it to the end
and a (worthy) replacement is called in.
Sometimes nibbled, always worn down to a nub, they remind the writer that stroke by stroke, pen by pen, progress is being made.
And after a dignified performance, the old pen
is retired (and recycled) and a new pen,
in a new color, awaits the
next round...or the next manuscript.