
The Alchemy of the Rewrite

Students are frequently unwilling to rewrite, because rewriting suggests to them that what they wrote the first time is wrong, and they don't like that feeling. But it's not that, it's just that writing is a process and you are cleaning up the language.
It's not that you're changing it: you're doing it better, hitting a higher note or a deeper tone... See more
It's not that you're changing it: you're doing it better, hitting a higher note or a deeper tone... See more
In Her Own Words: Toni Morrison on Writing, Editing, and Teaching
I don’t write to simply generate a 1,200 word output. I consider writing to be an extension of my curiosity, and the writing process itself is what turns a rough idea into a finished product. I begin with a vague idea based on some observation of the world, and I put that on paper. As I’m writing that idea, two distant synapses in my brain connect,... See more
Jack Raines • The Purpose of Things Isn't to Stop Doing Things.
There’s definitely a place for stream of consciousness. My sense is that the more analytical, slow, and entrenched my editing process for long form is, the better my one-take typewriter essays are. There’s a world in which the patterns of the craft become automatic, and over 50% of what you make is ready to go. I think it’s extremely rare to start
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