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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2674 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 6, 2024

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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If anyone here writes professionally or semi-professionally, in any domain, I'd love to hear your process around daily drafting and editing.

I've start to build a content base for a blog (details of which I will not be sharing so that I don't doxx myself, sorry). I can draft out 1,000 words a day consistently. Editing it is probably a 2-3x time commitment over the rough drafting. I don't feel like I have a real "process" however. It's kind of just - write a thing. Re-write a little until I have a solid structure. Edit for clarity, tighter sentences, that kind of thing. Should I have more?

To copy what the other guy said;

Writing and editing are not the same, they engage different portions of your brain. Process is different for everyone. I generally find it easier to just write and put down what's in my head first, then go have a drink or a meal or a night out. Then come back and read it properly, at which point I've usually found it to be garbage or in need of much more clarity. I've had more success treating writing/editing like different processes rather than one complete process.

Editing is tough for this reason. It's more work. Writing can be fun. If you're trying to stick to a schedule, try and alternate writing/editing days. Keep a backlog of drafts. Depending on what you're writing, if you know what you're writing about, during the editing process go back and cut out the extraneous fat that has nothing to do with what you're trying to communicate. You'd be surprised how much better stuff reads when you don't try and do anything fancy with the language or mess with complicated grammatical structure.

You'd be surprised how much better stuff reads when you don't try and do anything fancy with the language or mess with complicated grammatical structure.

I am compelled to offer my sincerest, most profound, and most forceful sentiments of gratitude. Your eloquent presentation of what must have been, of course, hard won knowledge is a great addition to the discourse capture in this community

Thx.

Been writing (professionally, freelance, hobby, semi-sordid erotica under a pseudonym…) for 25+ years.

My approach is:

  1. write the thing
  2. take account of how writing the thing feels (if it feels flowy, it’s much more likely to be good)
  3. edit the thing (this can be just a single run through for a short piece, or for a longer or more consequential piece, printing out the whole thing, laying it in sheets on the floor and taking a red pen to anything that seems out of place or which doesn’t add to the forward momentum)
  4. leave it a while (at least a night)
  5. read the thing (if it emotionally stirs me or moves me to read it, it has a decent chance of being good, or at least as good as I can make it)

After that, having the courage, tenacity and organisational chops to get it out into the world and into the hands of the best person/people you can find to read it is a whole other set of skills.

If your aspirations are for maximum excellence in writing and editing, I recommend Draft No. 4 by John McPhee.

Draft No. 4 by John McPhee

Than you. Amazon'ed.

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