Writing Well, Writing Poorly 


Good writing is rewriting, the teachers and editors say. They're right.

That implies a corollary: First-draft writing is poor writing. And for someone whose desire is to write well, there's a further implication: First-draft writing is painful. (In fact sometimes it's just awful!) 

I'm working on a book review for a magazine, and I'm in the painful stage. The fun part, thank God, will surely come.

Here's another saying: "If I'd known grandchildren were so much fun, I would have skipped having my own kids and gone directly to grandchildren." But alas, there's a step there that cannot be passed by. Neither can the first draft. 

Posted: Fri - November 2, 2007 at 12:27 PM           |

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