Monday, January 09, 2012

Writing: Turn It In


I've noticed that the drafting process, at least for me, usually consists of a large initial document followed by subsequent drafts in which points are clarified and material is removed or condensed. Seldom is the final draft as wordy as the first one.

This creative process involves throwing together a bunch of thoughts in what seems like a logical order just to get them down. The job then is simple: refine, refine, refine. I can't recall which author said that he is not a writer but a re-writer. That remark struck home. Writing can resemble carpentry with its measuring, cutting, and sanding.

Refining the text is all well and good, but there is a point when tweaking the product won't improve it. Each writer has to have an inner editor who demands a strict deadline and yells, "That's it. Turn it in."

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