Writing Tip: Starting Over

Feb 3, 2014 | Better Writing

The article just wouldn’t work. After the first draft, I tweaked it and twisted it and edited it over and over, but it still didn’t work. I called my mother.

My mother was a writer, so calling her about a writing problem made sense. I’d get some of that Mom Wisdom and emotional support, plus good writing advice. I outlined the problem. There was a short pause.

“Why don’t you just start over?”

To be honest, I thought mom was wrong about that one. After all, I’d done my research, outlined the piece, and written my first draft. I was sure this was an editing problem.

“You’re awfully quiet,” my mother said, “and that usually means you think I’m nuts. Just try it.”

What could I do? After I hung up I re-wrote my post from the beginning. The problems melted away.

Bottom Line

If you can’t edit your piece into shape, try starting again from the beginning.

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