The Several Essential Faces Of Rewriting

Any serious writer knows that great writing is largely superb rewriting. It serves several necessary functions and can take place in several ways. Master it and you will master writing.

At the outset, most experienced writers just write and leave the polishing of a manuscript for later (and later and later and later …). Rewriting is an ongoing process. Perhaps the most common error of a beginning writer is to believe his piece is ever really finished. Stories are never really finished: there just comes a time when the author stops.

Successful writers are meticulous perfectionists. Over the course of a dozen or more rewriting sessions, each word and phrase is considered critically – is it the very best for that spot in the story? How could the form of each sentence be improved either for clarity of meaning or to promote the easy flow of the words for the reader?

The original draft sets in the story – its sequence, the tale it tells, the general length of the piece, the characters and their basic interaction. One of my teachers said that any halfway bright six year old could do all that. (I was never sure about that!) He said the real writing comes in the rewriting. (That I do agree with.) Good rewriting considers the length, complexity and transitional value of each sentence in the manuscript. The expert at rewriting always asks, “What function must that word (phrase, sentence, paragraph) play at that point in the story? Those are not things an experienced writer dwells on when attacking the first draft.

One of the latter rewriting excursions for a manuscript is to assess the ease of flow – from word to word, phrase to phrase, sentence to sentence, and paragraph to paragraph. Sometimes great words may get in the way of flow – pose an impediment due to its sound or length or difficulty of pronunciation. (Yes, most readers really do pronounce the words in their mind as they read.)

The purpose of the next to the last rewrite is to remove everything that isn't necessary. It is typically the most painful part of rewriting because it often requires the writer to give up some of his or her favorite phrases or words. Pieces that retain unneeded material feel 'heavy' to the reader. Those things get in the way of the reader's progress and comprehension. Remember, the story is for the reader, not the writer.

Writing is, you see, mostly rewriting. Good writers come to enjoy it. Rewriting is where the writer demonstrates that he truly understands the craft of writing at its deepest level.

Many good writers employ a professional re-writer or copy editor to 'put a second set of eyes' on the piece and polish it for publication. That represents another form and purpose of rewriting. The final draft of many successful writers' pieces are actually done by a re-writer who specializes in all the things touched on above. Those authors enjoy the creative side of writing and are happy to leave the sweat to somebody else!

By: Tom Gnagey

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Tom Gnagey is a successful, long time, writer with more than 100 original books and 350 stories in his personally published bibliography (seven pen names). He has rewritten dozens manuscripts for others. His education includes degrees in psychology, education, and philosophy. Tom is a nationally known speaker and creative writing teacher. For FREE SAMPLES of his stories and information about his Writing Rx services go to www.TomsBookNook.com now.