Make mistakes. Just write quickly.
Once you have the first draft, you have something to work with. Think of
yourself as a sculptor and the first draft is your clay. Read the draft,
imagining yourself as the final reader (your audience). Are the ideas clear?
Is everything stated as directly as possible? What’s confusing? Are the ideas
well organized?
Undoubtedly, you will find many problems. That’s when you rewrite.
Correct the problems. Cut the mistakes. Rewrite whole sections, or the
whole thing, if necessary. Your focus is to make the second draft simpler,
clearer and more direct.
When you finish your second draft, save it and put it aside. If possible,
wait a day and then reread it. Again imagine you are the final reader. Look
for overly complex sentences. Look for unclear ideas. Fix the problems
again and rewrite for the second time.
For many kinds of writing, two rewrites will be enough. However, if the
writing is particularly important, you’ll need to do more. For this kind of
writing, it’s best to get outside help from an editor. Your editor might be a
friend, or a tutor, or even a paid professional. This person will read your
third draft and offer advice. Ask them to quickly rewrite any sections that
are problematic.
Working with an editor will help you create the best writing possible. It’s
not always necessary, but do it whenever you can, and carefully notice their
rewrite suggestions.
After a few rewrites with your editor, you’ll be ready to publish what you
have written. Before you do so, be sure to use spell check to catch spelling
mistakes you may have missed.
For Practice
Do a ten minute timed writing exercise every day. During this time, write as
quickly as possible without stopping.
