Writing suggestions: writing is rewriting. Or is it?
These of us who spend quite a lot of time learning the craft of writing inevitably come throughout bits of writing recommendation that we hear again and again: present don’t inform, write what you realize, and kill your darlings. These writing suggestions is usually a bit cryptic, however the one about revisions is crystal clear: writing is rewriting.
The intention is to get concepts out of your head and onto the web page (or the display, because the case could also be) as rapidly as attainable with out worrying about grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You don’t must get the main points proper. Simply get that tough draft accomplished. You’ll be able to clear it up later.
Like most writing suggestions, this one is debatable. Some writers desire to labor over every sentence whereas composing a primary draft. This implies fewer edits later. Others use the drafting course of to navigate by way of their concepts. This typically means extra revisions when the drafting is completed; in different phrases, the majority of time is spent on rewriting.
Getting it Proper the First Time
When you have a stable grasp in your venture, then sharpening as you go is likely to be a superb course of for you. For instance, should you’ve sketched your characters and made an in depth define of your story, then you possibly can give attention to particulars and mechanics as you’re employed by way of your first draft.
It would appear to be attempting to get it proper on the primary go can be a time saver. I’m undecided about that. Drafting on this method means going over every sentence and paragraph a number of instances earlier than shifting on to the subsequent. On this sense, you’re nonetheless revising a number of instances; you’re simply doing it on the sentence or paragraph stage somewhat than revising your entire manuscript.
However what if later within the course of, perhaps on the midpoint or finish of your textual content, you uncover a significant downside that requires chopping or rewriting massive parts of textual content? All that point you spent enhancing may go to waste.
Nonetheless, it is a technique I typically use when writing weblog posts, and I’ve discovered that there are some advantages to it. After I use this technique, I define the posts first. Drafting is quicker and smoother as a result of I’ve already deliberate what I’m going to cowl. As I draft, I am going over every sentence and paragraph a number of instances somewhat than going over your entire piece from starting to finish a number of instances. Lastly, I can normally polish it with a single proof.
All of it goes by fairly rapidly, however since I’m engaged on brief items, I can simply maintain all of the concepts for each bit in my head as I’m writing. After I’m engaged on a extra elaborate venture, like a novel, there’s much more happening. I’d go over sure sentences and paragraphs a number of instances throughout any given edit, however normally I work by way of your entire manuscript, give it a relaxation, then do it many times till I’ve obtained a cultured manuscript.
Get it Proper By Revisions
A guide is a large enterprise. It’s commonplace for writers to spend over a 12 months on the primary draft alone. In the event you’re writing a novel, you’ve gotten loads to consider: characters, plot and subplots, scenes, motion, dialogue, description, themes, and story arcs. Even when you have a basic thought of what your story is about, when you begin fleshing it out, you’ll run into all types of issues.
These issues can slam the brakes in your writing progress. In the event you’re additionally paying shut consideration to grammar, spelling, and punctuation or understanding essentially the most minute particulars of each scene as you write your first draft, you’ll end up stopping each few sentences to iron out the wrinkles. If you do this, you danger shedding your prepare of thought. In the event you’re deep right into a scene, you might lose its whole movement since you’re worrying over punctuation or capitalization questions that may very well be handled later.
Throughout revisions, you possibly can shave off the surplus, enhancing your piece down, or you possibly can construct on the narrative, fleshing out the main points. You’ll be able to clear up the grammar, eliminate the typos, and repair all the pieces that wants fixing. Each time you undergo one other revision, you make the manuscript higher. All that rewriting results in a clear, polished venture.
Most writers appear to get one of the best outcomes with this technique.
Rewriting
In the event you’re going to jot down by rewriting, plan on going over your work a number of instances. Right here’s a superb system:
- First draft: As you write the primary draft, give attention to getting your concepts on the web page. Don’t return and revise in any respect. The truth is, don’t even reread what you’ve written except you completely should as a way to get your bearings.
- Evaluate: Undergo your draft and make notes about massive issues that have to be addressed. You would possibly must rename some characters, conduct analysis so that you get the details proper, transfer massive sections round, or make main adjustments to the narrative.
- Rewrite: Utilizing your notes, do a radical rewrite of your entire draft. Now your messy tough draft is cleaned up.
- Revise: Learn by way of your second draft, making adjustments as you go. Tighten up the dialogue, easy out the descriptions, verify for sentence movement and phrase selection. You would possibly do targeted revisions: one for dialogue, one for fact-checking, one for double-checking your descriptions.
- Edit: You’ll most likely clear up quite a lot of technical errors as you rewrite and revise, however while you edit, you ought to be targeted on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence construction. In the event you’re undecided in regards to the guidelines of grammar, that is when you must look them up.
- Proofread: Lastly! Now you’re simply checking for these final remaining pesky typos.
You would possibly must repeat a few of these steps. For instance, I normally suggest proofreading a manuscript till you possibly can’t discover any remaining errors or typos. Ideally, when you’re accomplished, you’ll herald an expert editor. Bear in mind, irrespective of what number of instances you go over your manuscript, a couple of errors and inconsistencies will slip by way of.
How A lot Do You Rewrite?
Do you attempt to produce an ideal first draft, or do you comply with the previous adage that writing is rewriting? Do you employ totally different writing processes for various initiatives? (I do.) Lastly, what are a few of your favourite writing suggestions? Share your ideas by leaving a remark, and maintain writing.
