Writing the first draft of a story is often romanticized as the most important part of the process. But if I’m being honest, the real magic happens in the rewrite. That’s where the raw, messy ideas get refined, the characters find their true voices, and the plot threads come together in ways I didn’t see coming during the first draft.
This week, I dove back into a project I haven’t touched in months. At first, it was overwhelming. The draft was riddled with clunky sentences, plot holes, and a few moments where I honestly couldn’t remember what I was thinking. But as I worked through it, piece by piece, I started to remember why I fell in love with the story in the first place.
What Rewriting Has Taught Me
Rewriting is about more than just fixing mistakes. It’s an opportunity to dig deeper, to uncover layers in your story you didn’t realize were there. Here are a few things I’ve learned through the process:
Let It Sit: Giving a draft time to breathe before revisiting it allows me to see it with fresh eyes. What felt like a brilliant idea in the moment might need some serious rethinking.
Start Big, Then Go Small: I tackle structural issues first—major plot points, pacing, and character arcs. Once those are solid, I zoom in on the details: dialogue tweaks, sensory descriptions, and trimming unnecessary words.
Kill Your Darlings: It’s never easy to cut a line or scene you love, but if it doesn’t serve the story, it has to go. I save those bits in a separate document—sometimes they find a home in another project.
Celebrate the Progress: Rewriting can feel like a slog, but every improvement, no matter how small, brings the story closer to what I envisioned.
A Story Worth Rewriting
The draft I worked on this week wasn’t perfect when I started, and it still isn’t perfect now. But it’s closer. It’s stronger. And most importantly, it’s a story I can’t wait to share when it’s ready.
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