Revise by Design

Writers are always challenged to revise their work, but it is not always clear how to go about the revision process. The natural inclination is to just tear into your work without much forethought. However, it's best to organize your revision by developing a plan. There are several things you can ask yourself to help guide your revision process. First, it is important to consider the main purpose of your writing and ask yourself if you can accomplish that purpose in a better way. You may have written a technically good piece, but if it doesn't reflect the main purpose, it lacks the proper focus and therefore doesn't accomplish your goal. Next, ask yourself if your writing follows whatever guidelines or traditional structure it's supposed to adhere to. If not, those guidelines can be your skeleton structure for the revision process. Anything that doesn't fit within that structure has to go. Next, ask yourself what primary message you want to convey to readers and whether or not you have conveyed that message. Is your message presented in the most effective way and is it crystal clear to readers? Finally, ask yourself if you understand whatever feedback you may have about the piece from an editor, instructor or writing peer. If you don't understand their critique of your work, ask them for clarification. Find out specifically what needs to be changed and then consider how you can make that change. Planning in this manner before revising your work leads to better final drafts and makes the revision process more positive and productive for you.

Expression vs. Experience

Writers often are advised to write what they know. The thinking behind this advice is that you will write best what you know best, and there is much wisdom to this advice. It is often what you are familiar with that you are most passionate about, and that passion is reflected in your writing. Writers tend to have more credibility with readers when they have personal knowledge or experience with their subject matter. The other side of the coin is that limiting yourself to writing only what you know can greatly restrict your creativity. The argument can be made that writers don't need to write only what they know. That's what imagination is for. The thinking here is that if you can imagine something, you can write it, and imaginative writing is just as passionate and powerful as writing that is informed by direct personal experience. There are also many examples of excellent writing that are the culmination of a writer's extensive research into a previously unfamiliar subject. Whether you write about what you know from personal experience or write about what you have come to know through research, the goal should be the same - effective, passionate writing that resonates with readers. It's not the source of your knowledge that matters to readers as much as the expression of it, and they will connect with anything you write as long as you connect meaningfully with them.

Hook Your Readers

Whether you are writing nonfiction, fiction or poetry, you need to open your writing with a hook that grabs readers' interest. The hook has to be the first thing readers encounter or it won't function as a hook. If you grab readers' interest, curiosity, and intrigue at the outset, you have readers who are invested in continuing to read because they need to satisfy their curiosity. There are many ways to hook readers. You can present your most striking idea, statistic or quote right up front. Instead of burying this information in the body of your work, put it right up front where it can be the most effective. Another way to provide a hook is to present readers with a paradox or something that seems counterintuitive. It will make them want to read further to find out what you have to say. You can present readers with an intriguing mystery that they will want to solve by reading on. You can open with a poignant story that captures the essence of your message. Whatever you use, make sure it is the most powerful hook in your arsenal. You have one chance to grab readers' interest, right up front, in the first few words or sentences. If you haven't grabbed their interest in the first few opening sentences or lines, you've lost them. Readers have to be pulled into a piece of writing before they will make any commitment to read on. Don't pass up this opportunity to bait readers with your most relevant and intriguing language and reel them in to your literary world!

Develop Writing Discipline

Writers, like any other skilled craftperson, must develop discipline in order to be productive. Whether you are a student writer, hobby writer, or professional writer, having a disciplined approach to writing projects is critical for success. One of the ways you can develop discipline is to set deadlines for completing and/or submitting your work, especially if deadlines have not already been set for you by editors, instructors, writing group reviewers, etc. It's important to have a deadline to keep you motivated and productive when your energy and enthusiasm are fading. Another way to develop discipline is to start projects early so that you have plenty of time to fix problems, re-think your project, or start over if you need to. Once you've started a writing project, stay on track with the focus and structure of it. Constantly remind yourself what the purpose and message of the project are. This will keep your writing time disciplined and productive. Another way to develop discipline is to establish a writing routine. Write daily, every other day, weekly, or whatever works best for your lifestyle. Once you've established your routine, stick to it no matter what else is happening. Other methods for developing discipline include formal planning or outlining before beginning a project, using structured exercises as warm-ups, keeping a log or diary of your progress, etc. No matter what method or combination of methods you use, developing discipline will keep you writing and writing well.

Sharpen Your Writing

Writers sometimes find that the excitement of an idea may not always translate into exciting writing. Writing can fall flat on readers' ears. When this happens, it is usually because the heart of the message was not conveyed well. The writing may be technically perfect, but it doesn't resonate emotionally with readers. To sharpen writing that you suspect may have fallen flat, return to the emotion that you felt when you first conceived the idea (i.e., anger, hope, challenge, etc.). That is the emotion you want readers to feel. After pinning down that emotion, select dramatically charged language that conveys that emotion, relying on tone and slant. You can also sharpen flat writing by using specific detail that readers can connect to instead of general, vague language that keeps readers at a distance. Flat writing can be sharpened by using simple declarative sentences, by using startling or unique facts, and by keeping your writing moving without stalling over lengthy or boring passages. These techniques and others, when employed always with an eye toward the heart of your message, will create energy in your writing that readers will find captivating and anything but flat.

Beat Writer's Block

While experienced writers often confront writer's block in the middle of a project, beginning writers often become blocked before they ever begin a project. This is a fear-based block. The fear for beginning writers is that they may not be good writers and may fail miserably if they try to write; therefore, their fear keeps them from writing at all. There are some useful strategies for overcoming writer's block. The first and most important strategy is to do the necessary preparation or pre-writing work before beginning to write. This involves focusing your topic and your approach (or slant) on the topic, researching your topic, writing a brief outline and reviewing whatever writing guidelines or sample writing you have at your disposal. The second strategy is to shut off the critic and begin writing. Your goal is to just get the first draft written without concern for perfection. You want to get your thoughts down without the interruption of editing until you have a completed first draft. The third strategy is then to spend the necessary effort revising your work. Don't be afraid to tear into it, making significant changes, or starting all over if necessary. By doing the necessary planning, freewriting and revising required to polish your work, you'll keep writing blocks at bay and produce the best writing you are capable of.

Write Clearly

Think of your writing as a pool of water. Readers look at the surface of your pool and seek to find their own reflection there, but they also look into the depths of your pool to gain greater insight. If your writing is murky or cloudy, they can't see your meaning as clearly; however, if your writing is clear, they can experience your meaning in profound ways. One of the ways writing gets murky is if you try to say too much in one sentence or paragraph. Readers can get lost if your writing becomes too convoluted or circuitous. Write simply and cleanly with generally one major idea per sentence and one subject per paragraph. Your writing can also get murky if it is nonsensical. This is writing that usually involves grammatical issues such as subject/verb disagreement, commonly confused words, sentence fragmentation, etc. These types of errors can confuse readers and cause them to miss your message entirely. Another issue that can make your writing murky is writing that contradicts itself. Make sure that your ideas and details are consistent throughout and present a clear message. Write as if you are teaching readers. Teachers strive to communicate everything clearly so that their meaning is easily grasped. A writer's goal should be the same. Keep your writing focused and insightful and readers will see your message through your lens.

Build Word Bridges

Good transitional wording is a key skill in a writer's tool box. Transitional words are words or phrases that connect one idea to another and smoothly guide readers through a writer's thought process. Transitional words are like signposts that tell readers where the discussion or action or story is going next. These words transition readers from scene to scene, point to point or subject to subject. They are words, phrases or sentences that repeat key ideas or key wording to inform the reader how what they just read relates to what they are about to read. They create smooth segues that create an almost imperceptible transition from one section of writing to another. If done correctly, readers are consciously unaware that a transition has been made. They just know they are reading easy, smooth writing that makes sense to them. Transitional wording becomes especially important when you are transitioning from one idea or subject to another in which the relationship between the two is not obvious. In these cases, you need to use wording that builds a bridge allowing readers to cross over to the next idea or subject without any difficulty in understanding why they are moving in that direction. The last thing you want your readers to do is get lost in your discussion or story because then you will have lost their attention. So help your readers traverse the landscape of your thoughts with effective transitional wording that keeps them engaged, informed and interested.

Choosing Words

Word choice is an important aspect of effective writing and is something writers agonize over in the composition process. There are three aspects of words to keep in mind when struggling with word choice: denotation, connotation and diction. The denotation of a word is its literal dictionary definition. For example, the word "liberal" is defined as a person who is tolerant or nonjudgmental. The connotation of a word is its emotional coloring. For example, the word "liberal" in American culture means a personal who is socialistic in nature, a bleeding heart activist. The diction of a word is how a word sounds and the effect its sound has on readers or listeners. In other words, does a word sound soft or harsh or odd to the ear? For example, the word "liberal" is a soft sounding word and evokes a sense of openness and acceptance. When struggling with word choices, consider their denotation, connotation and diction. It is not enough to just consider a word's meaning or translation. Use the shape, sound, rhythm and tone of words to evoke the mood and emotional response you intend to elicit in readers. Words are a writer's tools. Use them thoughtfully and deliberately to channel your message in the most effective way possible.

Connect with Readers

Being able to connect with readers is a hallmark of effective writers. Readers must relate to what you write on an emotional level if you are to have a lasting impact on them. How do you establish this emotional connection? The short answer is: by being real. Being real in your writing means presenting recognizable, complex ideas, much as real life is both recognizable and complex. So, when writing scenes, events, descriptions, etc., strive to mimic real life. This is accomplished through using vivid sensory detail and compelling, realistic examples. Readers can relate to your writing if they can relate to and recognize the details you've presented. This style of true-to-life writing, even in fiction, keeps readers interested because they can see themselves or someone they know within the scenes and descriptions you've crafted. This establishes a strong emotional connection between readers and your writing. When readers connect at this deeper level, their curiosity is piqued. They start asking questions as they read and they look eagerly to you for the answers. Because they can relate to your writing in such a personal, tangible way, you have captured their interest. Engaging your readers with strong, vivid writing will keep them connected and keep you in demand.

Revise for Purpose

Writers are always admonished to revise, revise, revise. But how do you go about accomplishing this task? Revision involves three basic things: adding text, cutting text, and rewording text. What combination of the three you need to do depends on the writing project and its purpose. With that purpose in mind, look for wording that doesn't accomplish the purpose and begin your revision there. You may find that you need to add text. This involves providing more detail to enhance reader understanding, clarifying your message, adding transitional language for better flow, etc. Conversely, you may find that you need to cut text. This involves looking for unnecessary, repetitive wording and simplifying or deleting it. It involves cutting passages that are too wordy or awkwardly worded. Look for areas that readers might have a tendency to skim over and cut those out. Any text that doesn't advance the purpose of the work should be eliminated. Finally, you may find that, rather than adding or cutting text, you need to reword your existing text for better impact and effectiveness. This largely involves re-slanting your wording so that it conforms better to the purpose of the project. For instance, you may have written argumentative style when the purpose is to be instructional. Learning to revise your work for conformity to purpose will make your writing more effective, more readable, and more likely to leave a lasting impression.