As I wrote last time, putting those two bits together – economy and craft – I learned that rewriting a sentence to shorten it by even one word is time well spent.
So when are you finished? Writing to strict deadlines is good discipline early in your career. Rewriting is good, but you can’t let yourself get too fussy about it. If you notice that you keep alternating the same two constructions of a particular sentence or phrase with each revision, that means you’re probably finished.
Setting something aside and coming back to it later is a good tip. The longer the better. You will see a lot that you want to change after an hour. You will see ten times more after a month.
If you are writing something for a blog, and you have this option, don’t hesitate to revisit and rewrite it even after it has been posted.
I reread my stuff so much I worry about narcissism.
But I also don’t believe I have ever rewritten something and made it worse.
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