Writers on Revision by Katherine https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision Inspiration and Guidance en-us 2016-06-27 15:54:45 UTC 2026-01-14 20:44:52 UTC hello@padlet.com William Zinsser kmillsh https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115521267 Writing is a craft, not an art, ... with its own set of tools. Like all tools, they'll do the job is they're used right. 

The longer most writers write, the more they rewrite, the more they fiddle, trying to finally say exactly what they want to say with as much freshness as possible.

If you find writing hard, it's because it is hard. It's one of the hardest things people do...

Writing's hard for everybody. Very few sentences come out right the first time. Or the second time. A clear sentence is no accident. On the other hand, getting that sentence right on the third try or the fourth try is a great satisfaction. When you get all your sentences together, one after another, saying something clearly that you want to say in a voice that sounds like you, that's an achievement you can be very proud of and one that I think you can learn very quickly.

Four basic principles of good writing:
  • clarity
  • simplicity
  • brevity
  • humanity

If you keep those four principles in mind, there's almost nothing you can't do.

From On Writing Well
]]> 2016-06-27 15:58:17 UTC https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115521267 Bill O'Hanlon kmillsh https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115521711 Be willing to write poorly just to get something on the page and then do a lot of rewriting.

(Quotes author Katherine Patterson: "I love revision. Where else can spilled milk be turned into ice cream?")

* Do your research, but don't get paralyzed by the belief that you "don't know enough."
*Learn from your failures.
*Most writing is rewriting; embrace it.
*Don't get too attached to your words or your precious ego and pride; be loyal to the (writing) instead

From Write is a Verb: Sit Down. Start Writing. No Excuses.]]> 2016-06-27 16:08:27 UTC https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115521711 Stephen King kmillsh https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115522115 While it is impossible to make a competent writer out of a bad writer, and while it is equally impossible to make a great writer out of a good one, it is possible, with lots of hard work, dedication, and timely help, to make a good writer out of a merely competent one.

If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut.

... rewriting varies greatly from writer to writer.

If you're a beginner, ... let me urge that you take your story through at least two drafts; the one you do with the study door closed and the one you do with it open. (The study door closed means writing entirely alone, with no help or interference from anyone else. Then, still with the door shut, when you're ready, read through the entire piece with pencil in hand. The door open is when you invite feedback from others.)

From On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft


]]> 2016-06-27 16:15:52 UTC https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115522115 Peter Selgin kmillsh https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115522820 Revision methods:
Try reading your words aloud to yourself, sharpened pencil in hand. Read loud and clear—hurling each work like a stone at an imaginary audience. ... Words sound different to our ears than to our eyes.

Or, find someone who liked to be read to and read the piece to them. They needn't comment ... They aren't there to critique, but to react, to help you hear in your own words what you need to hear.

Or have someone read your words to you. Having your own words thrown back to you in another's voice—with their inflections, stumbles, laughter, tears, wincing, and cringing—can greatly enhance the revision process.

You can also read your words into a recorder and then play it back.

Print out your (work) in an unusual, but legible, font. Your words will seem like strangers to you, and you can begin to edit them.

Why Revise?
The purpose of multiple drafts is to discover what we're writing, and then to refine it into its ultimate form.

Initially, revision is often a matter of reenvisioning.

Suggestion: having finished a first draft, start over again. Put in a fresh piece of paper or open a fresh document on your computer, and start typing, this time with a sure, or surer, sense of what it is you're writing. Refer to your draft, it and when it contains something worth referring to. Otherwise, write from scratch... Old words can block fresh insights.

...some stories are easier to write than others. But the hard ones are no less worth writing. Be prepared to see your work through many revisions.

About Beginnings
Beginnings are crucial. If the beginning... is weak, chances are no one will ever get to the "muddle," let alone the end.

Writers are routinely advised... to grab their readers by the throat within a paragraph or a page. Sometimes this works. ...But not all readers want to be grabbed by their throats. Some prefer to be gently seduced in which cases a sly wink or a wiggled finger may trump a grappling hook... 

...you don't have to be sensational to be amusing, entertaining, or interesting. 

From Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide From New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School (Gotham Writers' Workshop)]]> 2016-06-27 16:30:14 UTC https://padlet.com/kmillsh/revision/wish/115522820