Good Writing Is…
…rewriting.
One of the better blogs I get in my RSS reader is by Paul Graham. In a recent post Paul talks about the process of rewriting. Here is an excerpt:
As E. B. White said, “good writing is rewriting.” I didn’t realize this when I was in school. In writing, as in math and science, they only show you the finished product. You don’t see all the false starts. This gives students a misleading view of how things get made.
Part of the reason it happens is that writers don’t want people to see their mistakes. But I’m willing to let people see an early draft if it will show how much you have to rewrite to beat an essay into shape.
A couple of paragraphs later Paul posts the rough draft of an essay he wrote some time ago as well as a link to the post in it’s finished form. With red text he highlights the area’s of the rough draft that made it into the final draft. It was comforting to see how much of the original didn’t make it as I often find myself rewriting many of my posts to the point they are unrecognizable, and yet they are much better for it.
The problem is rewriting is such a chore! It takes me at least three times as long to rewrite as it does to put the rough draft together. Often it takes much longer. The frustration lies in knowing that with practice you could become more efficient, but you will never become efficient enough to completely do away with rewriting.
On top of that writing is a lonely business. At times it can feel overwhelming. In the middle of a long rewrite you can feel overwhelmed to the point of being lost. I find it encouraging to read about other writer’s struggles during these times. They remind me I am not alone.
How do you deal about the “rewriting” in your life?
- Sean
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