Learning to Rewrite

Posted on by Victoria

Did you catch Daniel Abrahams’ latest – “Writing is Rewriting“? Oof! It’s the space I’m in right now and when I stumbled across his blog post recently, I felt like his message was written just for me. Here’s what I mean (and note – the italics and bold below are mine…letting you know what really hit home):

There was a time when writing well meant knowing where the commas went. Back then, it was about grammar rules, red pens and looking up words in the dictionary.

Writing was lonely. Frustrating. Beautiful.

Then came word processors that checked our spelling and highlighted grammatical missteps in judgmental red squiggles. Grammarly and its kin began offering not just corrections but suggestions.

Now, AI can crank out an essay before you’ve finished your coffee. It can mimic authors, summarise complex research, or generate a business proposal with a simple prompt. It’s tempting to think writing is dead. That practice is pointless. That we’ve been replaced by algorithms that never experience writer’s block or deadline panic.

But while anyone can get an instant first draft, the real skill is knowing whether it’s any good.

That’s where the soul of writing still lives. Not in pressing “Generate,” but in pressing “Delete.” Not in what the machine gives you, but in what you demand from its work.

Good writers have always rewritten. Hemingway rewrote the ending to ‘A Farewell to Arms’ 47 times. Stephen King throws away entire chapters. F. Scott Fitzgerald rewrote ‘The Great Gatsby’ so extensively that it was essentially written three times.

I’m not some literary genius. My first drafts suck.

But I know how to tear them apart. I know when a sentence hides instead of speaks. I know when a story limps instead of runs. And I’m ruthless enough to fix it.

That’s the skill that matters now. Not producing more words. But giving a damn about the ones that stay.

You don’t need to be brilliant to start. The blank page is less intimidating when AI can fill it.

But if you want to stand out in a world drowning in AI-generated sameness, you better learn to rewrite like your work depends on it.

Because it does.

I’ve heard the same feedback from fellow writers recently. I might be a little dense but it’s finally sinking in: EDIT.

When Abrahams said the skill that matters most isn’t writing more words but giving a damn about “the ones that stay”? Oh my. Dear friends in my writer’s group weren’t so blunt, but the message was the same.

Pack a punch with fewer words. Make every sentence count.

I’ve never written fiction before, so novel writing is…novel! But I’m getting my bearings and the three hundred and nine words from Abraham? They count. I hear – and feel – each one.

Cheers to the creative hearts who choose to write…and rewrite…no matter the genre or format – blog posts, essays, poems, novellas, short stories. I salute you.

Vicki 😊

Daniel Abrahams’ “Writing is Rewriting” article

More self-talk from me to me…about writing.

Hi – I’m Victoria, Vicki, Dr. Vicki. I hold a doctorate in Adult Education and I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and author of Surviving Sue | Eckhartz Press.

Check out this link to learn more about my book “Surviving Sue” – all about resilience and love.

Click here for Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcasts. Listen and subscribe. Thank you! Click here for videos of our podcasts.

54 thoughts on “Learning to Rewrite”

  1. When I first started writing novels, I hated the rewriting process. I thought once I had written the story I was done and could move on to the next story. I soon learned that wasn’t the case. Now I actually enjoy the rewriting. There is satisfaction in polishing the rough draft over and over until it becomes a gem (or close to one). A great post, thanks.

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    1. I love your perspective, Darlene…and I can see those glimmers coming forward. Seeing opportunities to polish as I read – fresh ideas and observations that I don’t think I could’ve seen no matter how many times I worked and reworked the draft a couple of months ago. Letting it ‘marinate’ and stepping away really IS valuable. Appreciate your insight, my talented friend! 🥰

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  2. Editing can be a very fun and therapeutic process in itself. But I can also understand and relate to the daunting stress one often associates with it. Glad you found the encouraging blog post at the right time, Vicki!

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  3. This is highly engaging and inspiring!

    I rewrote my holistic health book and turned it into a 2nd edition with an updated name and cover. It took me years to write it and months to rewrite it! I felt like I had been stupid initially, because when I started reading it from the first printing I bought, it was littered with typos—even one completely duplicated page!

    But now, recently, a dear longtime friend bought two copies. She was astonished when I told her I was glad she hadn’t bought the first edition because of the typos. And she replied, “YOU had typos?” Ha!

    Just goes to show, people mostly only know us from our most recent works/words, not from the early sh*t we wrote. I felt so consolled by her response.

    Oh, and I wrote as part of my day job for decades, even advancing in my career to better my writing! But I didn’t embrace re-writing until the last few years. I preferred the blank page. Go figure!
    I have not tried writing with AI, other than songwriting.

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  4. oh, I could not agree more, Vicki. it’s what stays, that is what matters most of all. just like the important people in our lives. or the things that stay in our hearts.

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  5. True true true. Now to convince myself of that. I have two projects going that need more than a scapel but I agonize over each word. On the other hand, when I’m writing spoken material for speeches or presentations I am the ruthless editor, sometimes tossing words because they have too many syllables. I compare first drafts with actual presented material and they are all better for it. Markedly better. Why I can’t do that with the written word I don’t know. And the thing is, I think editing (speeches) is fun. I like the process. It works. Stick with it!

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    1. Someday…I’d love to be in the audience listening to you! You are a terrific writer and I can only imagine how delightful and compelling your spoken delivery must be. Good luck with your projects…I’ll stick with mine if you do the same!
      🥰❤️🥰

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  6. Unless someone else has said it, the need to rewrite comes up against a major obstacle: blog posts that are posted shortly after the first draft, perhaps in less than a day. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and King wrote novels — and not in a day or a week or a month. Of course, it you want to get more clicks you have to write often and “like” the work of other bloggers regularly. None of that will necessitate or motivate multiple rewrites. I have been guilty of the failing to rewrite and edit enough myself.

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    1. You are so right, Dr. Stein about the obstacles that deter and distract from rewriting. Remembering to be clear about goals seems to be the ongoing reminder I need. Many thanks to you for your thoughtful input, as always. 🥰

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  7. I couldn’t agree more with “creative hearts who choose to write…and rewrite…” Once I ventured to try AI on a paragraph I’d written and didn’t think needed changing anymore. AI doubled it’s length and made what I thought was funny, not funny. That was the end of AI for me. “The words that stay” was apparently beyond AI. 🙂

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    1. Ally! How have I missed that quip? Good golly…that advice might’ve saved me from A LOT of editing!
      If you lean — maybe due northwest a bit – I’ll try to silence that hunk of Indiana between us so you can hear my LOL moment wafting your way. Keep the funny coming. I can use it! 😜🥰😜

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  10. Vicki it beggars belief to me that anyone would use AI to write!
    My punctuation is dire so I input everything into Grammarly, after I have drafted it with pen and psper.
    The joy is in the writing.
    Even when my muse goes on vacation, using AI is not even an option for me !
    Thank you for this post ❣️🙏❣️

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    1. Thank you so much, Maggie. I feel the same and you said it so well…”the joy is in the writing” and I think I’m finding, shocked as I am, that editing can be fulfilling, too! Sending big hugs to you…with apologies for missing a post or two from you this week. 🥰💕🥰

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  11. I wish you much success on your writing endeavor, Vicki! 💕💕This is a great post. I’m guilty of occasionally rewriting a thing so many times it loses its initial direction and becomes unrecognizable. I’m also guilty of writing something down one time, thinking it sounded good in my head, so why reread it? And then well, the typos, convoluted sentences, and odd additions that have nothing to do with the topic, are a total embarrassment when I read it later. And both of these things happen way more than necessary. It’s frustrating that I haven’t found the right balance…. Maybe one day with enough practice and writer’s tips from people like you, I’ll figure it out. 😊

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    1. Ohhhh….don’t give me too much credit. I just pivoted over to WP to take a break from a paragraph that was doing exactly what you described, Rose! “Losing its initial direction and becomes unrecognizable…” Yup. I’m with you. But for what it’s worth, from me to you, you write beautifully, and I think the balancing act for some of us is to do what you expressed so well. Make sure we keep the heart of what we’re trying to say at the center. Thank YOU for that. xo! 💕🥰💕

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  12. Oh, I love both your and Daniel’s pieces. They tell me that I’m not crazy. Okay, maybe a little crazy, but I can get there, first with a horrible first draft and then lots of good editing. If you’re novel writing is anything like your other writing, I’m sure it’s going to be enjoyable to read!!!

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  13. I didn’t, but thanks Vicki for pointing it out!

    As someone who’s really benefitted and interested in narrative therapy, I love this concept of writing as rewriting. And I perceive it as more than a concept, but a reality!

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  14. Yes! “That’s the skill that matters now. Not producing more words. But giving a damn about the ones that stay.” I love that, Vicki. That’s how I feel. I also felt relief seeing that famous writers edit 47 times or throw out sections, I have no problems doing that to keep the integrity of the story. You know it when it’s wrong.

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  17. I’ve still been meaning to catch the podcast as I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. Not that I have that much experience, but I find editing less tedious than many people do. To me, it’s like taking a rough piece of art and making it better. That feels satisfying to me.

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  18. I totally agree. I had a friend who published her YA novel a few decades ago when mine went nowhere. She revised it 17 times. I edited mine three times. Do you have a copy of “Writing Down the Bones” by Natalie Goldberg? It’s an encouraging book for writing and editing.

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      1. It’s witty and to the point! I’m thrilled I could add something to your editing that you didn’t have at your fingertips. I think it’s 25 or 26 years old but still has good advice.

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  20. Oh goodness, this message. I hadn’t heard of editing being brought into the conversation around AI, but it makes sense in your post. Work and work and work on the craft. When I was younger, I wasn’t ready to hear that message. I was caught up in the rush of creating the first draft. But I’m glad I was ready for it when I listened to an interview on YouTube with George Saunders. He talked about the importance of careful editing. And he convinced me to change my outlook on the process. So thank you for the reminder of editing importance, Vicki! 🌞

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  21. I do much more rewriting than writing, if that makes sense. I get the thought down and then I weed, weed, weed. In the process I discover things like connections, relevance, deeper meaning. We are so lucky to be writers. Hugs, C

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