Writing Tip: Re-Think, Re-Visit, Re-Write
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- 1/7/2010 |
- 10:00 am
It seems that, as writers, we're too often in a hurry to get the story finished and move on to something else. The problem is that it's very rare - I'd say almost impossible - to put out your BEST work in just one rough draft. This is where true writers separate themselves from the rest...
You might be just like me. You probably have so many different ideas floating around inside your head, and you're anxious to finish that writing project you're working on right now. That likely means that you'll write "The End" on the first draft and call it good enough.
Here's something for you to think about. A first draft of a story is usually very disorganized and not very clear. I always encourage young writers to simply write everything as it comes to them, without worrying about errors or plot problems. Just get it all out of you. If your brain is in editing mode, it's hard to be in creative mode. Create first.
Then comes the part where you really make your story shine. Set the finished work aside, and leave it for a day or two, or more. Then, read it again, on paper. That means NOT on the computer screen. Print it onto paper, and read it with a pen handy. Circle mistakes, make notes - LOTS of notes - in the margins, about ideas, ways to make it better, corrections.
Then, sit down and write your second draft. I promise you that you will be amazed at how much better it is. In fact, you'll look back at your first draft and wonder, "What was I thinking?" This new, polished draft will make you realize how important it is to let a first draft sit for awhile and stew.
So don't be in a hurry. If you want your writing to improve, you have to work on it. That means writing a second draft - and even sometimes a third, a fourth, and a fifth! Each time you'll impress yourself with your revisions, and you'll appreciate the work it takes to really become a better writer.
Dom Testa Author of the Galahad series of books www.DomTesta.com
