Hi ho hi ho, it's off to edit I go....

I thought writing my story was hard.  Fun, but hard.  Now it's time to edit.  This is hard and I'm not sure it's fun.  I haven't decided yet.  It's a little masochistic because you take what you love, what poured out from you and then you look at it and call your own baby ugly.

I know that with a little bit of work, the story could really be great.  It's just hard to admit to yourself that it wasn't great to begin with.  I recently read on a blog (I think) about how every line in Streetcar Named Desire was exactly what was needed.  No extra words, no superfluous thoughts.  Everything written was meant and vital to telling the story.  I want my story to be that same way.  Now, I'm not writing a classic like Streetcar, but I want to make sure that every line is important and says just what it should. 

But I've also read blogs and articles that say not to edit your 'voice' out of the story.  I'm concerned that if I adjust it too much, it won't be the same story. 


Do you ever have these concerns?  What is your process for editing your stories?