I don’t enjoy the seemingly endless rewrite rut of revision and edits. Maybe no one does, I don’t know. Yet I also know my first draft – that brain dump of information and ideas is never good enough let alone excellent.
I want to strive for excellence but I get impatient with the process if it needs too much revision or rewriting. How many times is too many to rework a project? I think it varies with the type of writing and its length as well. Short pieces seem to take less time for me.
I also realize that after a few tries working on, revising, rewriting, and editing I can no longer see where to fix the piece or improve on it. At first it is much easier to see mistakes and missing information. I also rely on early readers and check their suggestions of what is working and what isn’t. Are there gaps in the story? Is something unclear? Have I used period language if it is historical? Then it is time to see which suggestions must be implemented and it is back to revision and rewrites.
When I can’t find any more to change and am impatient for it to be done, it is time for the editing. My editor finds crutch words, overused words, grammatical, and spelling mistakes even still lurking in the piece. Then it is time to implement all the editor’s suggestions and fix the problem areas. I can see these in other people’s writing but miss them in my own. Once the changes are inputted, it is time to head back to the editor for another look. This might happen multiple times.
How often do I rewrite? The short answer is that it varies. I have had short pieces only need a few edits and no revisions. I have had other pieces need both revisions and edits which is why I think it depends on the piece of writing how often rewrites need to happen – at least for me.
How long do I hang on before letting my writing go off into the world of readers? Too often, I think I let my writing go too soon and only later wish I could fix one more thing or maybe even multiple parts. But it’s too late at that point. I’ve already hit send and it is off into the world.
One thing I need to work on is my patience with each bit of writing and all the revisions and edits that it might need. This way I can learn to strive for excellence instead of settling for good enough each and every time.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3: 23)
thank you Carol
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carol, for letting us have a peek into your own experience with the rewriting process. You mention being impatient with the revision aspect and much prefer getting those inspired ideas pinned down in that first draft. I, on the other hand, prefer working and playing with ideas and words already set down, taking them and wrestling them into places where they will work better, sound brighter, speak clearer, and be more enjoyable to read.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Carol. Well said.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol. Love how you ask others for input. Sometimes it’s much easier to see things from a distance. Thanks for sharing your process, both what works and your frustrations.
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