I almost always need a beta, becuase I tend to go all over the place and have a lot of plot twists, and it gets confusing. I'd love to be super-focused, but sadly, it's not something in my nature.
I agree with anime_scholar, though i don't do multiple drafts, I'm always going back and reviewing and re-editing my work, sometimes five and six times, until i get the desired flow, and I read out loud if I'm stuck. Pisses off the roommate, but it's worth it.

The story I'm working on I started trying to tell someone I love them and how much they mean to me by crating two characters to represent us. It's taken off surprisingly well (though the girl it was aimed at still is completely oblivious to it, and she'd probably kill me if I told her about it).