I find that student writers resist rewriting to a remarkable degree. Some think it boring. Others look at it as a waste of time or as casting an aspersion on their writing skills.
I find it to be one of the most critical and rewarding of writing skills. If you’re a one draft and done person I don’t consider you are real writer. Even Shakespeare rewrote and revised his work.
And let me tell you, cousin, you ain’t no Shakespeare.
Your first draft is a work of inspiration. Every draft after that is the real work of writing. It takes a stronger intellect to read and rewrite than to compose. The first draft is little better than talking. The next draft is work.
A seasoned writer embraces the opportunity to rewrite. This is where you can pull things apart, see how they work, and try and make them work better. You are not a genius. You are not naturally gifted. You need to do the work.
For today’s assignment, take the results from the first rewrite Writing Assignment and rewrite it again. If you skipped it, do it now, then let it sit for at least 24 hours before performing this assignment.
For this draft, produce two new versions. One must be a single paragraph, no more than 100 words. The second can be of any length, but test it and improve its clarity and readability. Read carefully before your rewrite. You may change only a sentence or two, or change some punctuation, or replace some words. Or you may toss it and start again. It doesn’t matter.
Embrace the exercise and rewrite!
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