Editor’s Picks — Top 10: Rewrite Your Article Again, Even When You’re Sick to Death of It

Let’s have a look at our top 10 stories today

Rewriting your piece means reading it — looking at it critically to improve your sentences and flow. You have to locate weak areas of your work.

“The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping simile.” ~ Robert Edmund Cormier

Take a break after writing your first draft.

Don’t ever be fooled by the perfection of your first draft — it only feels like that for an hour. “A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time or even the third time. If you find that writing is hard, it’s because it is hard,” William Zinsser wrote in his book On Writing Well.

Read your piece as a reader would. Is your story doing what it was supposed to do? Is it addressing your intended audience? Would the article hold your reader’s interest?

The first sentence of every paragraph needs to be exciting. The last sentence leads to the next. When you remove a sentence, notice that paragraphs don’t switch abruptly, or you’ll lose the reader.

“The only kind of writing is rewriting.” ~Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

The same length of sentences is tiresome. Vary the length. Do it intentionally. It’ll give your reader variety.

Don’t hit your reader on the head with long quotes. You can trim the sayings of famous people as long as the message remains the same.

Complex sentences frighten the reader. Break your long sentences into two or three separate sentences. Check if you can replace passive voice with active voice.

Why Stephen King’s style is so entertaining? “When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done,” he wrote in his memoir On Writing.

Don’t repeat yourself unnecessarily. William Zinsser said, “Most first drafts can be cut by 50 percent without losing any information or losing the author’s voice.”

“Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it’s where the game is either won or lost,” William Zinsser insisted on rewriting. “Most rewriting consists of reshaping and tightening and refining the raw material you wrote on your first try.”

“If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it,” said Elmore John Leonard, an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter.

Write. Rewrite. When not writing or rewriting, read. I know of no shortcuts. ~Larry L. King

I know it is becoming repetitive. But I have to convince you to do it even if you are sick to death of it. The author of Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton says, “Stories aren’t written — they’re rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn’t quite done it.”

Do you know what is the most important thing in the rewriting process?

It is to see if your article sounds like you when you read it. Does it have the same character as you? If you are meticulous about details, your piece should reflect that. If you are frank and talkative, adjust your tone to reveal that side of your personality.

But don’t get too critical about your writing. No writer is perfect. No story will ever be perfect:

“I wish I were a little less critical of myself and could read my stories with a bit less chastisement.” ~ Susan Orlean

You have to allow yourself to make mistakes. Nobody can reach the editorial standard they hope. The more you learn about editing, the higher the acceptable editorial standard seems to move.

Do your best. Then hit publish.

Here is the list of our top 10 stories — the writers who know what a high editorial standard means:

10. How Not to Chase The Applause of Others

Letters from E.K. are about life and psychology. An excellent writer.

Unpopular opinion: Your internal applause needs to be loudest.

One of the most dangerous things to rely on is others’ validation. People have their own subjective opinions and ideas, and they change with time. But many of us fall into the trap of trying to make everyone agree with our life choices.

9. This Year, Create Something For Yourself

John Teehan is a writer specializing in tech, business, parenting, pop culture, and gaming.

It can be a bit of a grind, sometimes.

Producing art, that is.

And it doesn’t matter what kind of art we’re talking about. It could be visual, audio, written, or a combination of any or all three. When we make a living producing art, content, or what-have-you, we’re often thinking of someone else — an audience — more than ourselves.

8. Maybe we shouldn’t ignore the haters

Trevor E Hudson writes about leadership, wisdom, and the new world of work.

He is a superb writer. His writing style is honest, direct, and very engaging. Do check his other work.

The world seems to be a lot more full of people willing to be thoroughly nasty. Online anonymity or at least a perceived sense of distance is bringing out jealously and trolling behaviors you really have to ignore if you’re going to protect your mental health.

7. Despite a Receding Hairline and a Paunch, My Confidence Is at Its Peak

The Maverick Files is a thinker, finance professional, loving husband, a doting dad, fitness enthusiast, MBA in Finance & Marketing, and Computer Science Engineer.

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is honest, frank, and thought-provoking. Do check his other work.

I’ve always been your average looking guy when it comes to “looks” and have never been the one to make heads turn at a party. But I’ve always been cognizant of the fact that looks or physical appeal aren’t my strong suit when it comes to attracting the girls.

As I got out of college and grad school, I realized the only advantage of good looks isn’t about landing a pretty date, there’s also a distinct advantage of sharp appearances when it comes to professional first impressions. Again, this has never played to my distinct advantage, but it hasn’t been a handicap either.

6. 5 Simple Ways To Cut Back Your Spending

Kiah Swenson writes about finances, life, and the interesting things she feels like people don’t know enough about. She is also doing her best to make a positive impact on the world.

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. She is new to Medium and needs your kind words.

Saving money is something that, in my opinion, everyone should do. Yet, as far as I’ve seen, it’s not something that many people are very good at.

Many people that are on the journey of starting to grow their savings accounts focus on the act of putting money aside, which yes, is very important (I even have an article on how you can begin growing your savings account this way).

5. Why I Became an Inmate’s Pen Pal

Jessie London is MA English + BA Literature. Tech Entrepreneur for 15 years. Now full-time Writer, main interests — Wellbeing, Books, Feminism, Crime, Business & Relationships.

She is an exceptional writer. Her writing style is easy to read, emotionally connecting, and intriguing. Do check her other work.

Prisoners around the world woo and wed complete strangers from behind bars every day.

Why women choose to contact convicted murderers, drug dealers, even rapists, has always baffled me.

Watching Making a Murderer on Netflix left me even more intrigued.

4. You Don’t Need a Passion, You Need Three

Alastair Isaacs is a physicist and ex-astronomer. Satellite operator. Traveler, writer, and photographer.

He is an excellent writer. his writing style is simple, direct, and charming. If you like reading this piece, do check his other work.

Bobby Fischer lived and breathed chess. It was everything to him, his life, his one true love, his only passion. From the moment he discovered the game, aged six, he dedicated his life to it, pouring thousands of hours into playing and studying.

As a route to success it worked: by thirteen he was a national champion; at fifteen he achieved the rank of grandmaster; and then, still in his twenties, he was world champion, and recognised as the greatest chess player of all time.

3. What Meditation Can Do For Your Sex Life

Michael Papas is probing the mystery of mind at the intersection of mindfulness, philosophy, and psychedelics.

He is a fine writer. His writing style is honest, appealing, and very engaging. If you start reading this story, you’d not be easily clicking away before finishing it.

Meditating before making love can produce the best sex you’ve had in months.

I had an experience the other day.

Still new to meditation, I’m roaming the roads of what’s possible when you get out of your head and into the present. Recently, a road led to a sexual experience, unlike anything I’ve experienced. Ever.

2. How to Tell Whether She’s Open to Being Approached or Not

Shannon Hilson is my new favorite. She is a full-time writer. Language nerd. The girl with the most cake.

She is an exceptional writer. Her writing style is charming, cute, pleasant, appealing, honest, …., huh, and very engaging. Do check her other work.

I’ve had many guy friends complain to me over the years that figuring out what women want from them is next to impossible these days. This is especially the case when it comes to facilitating a meet-cute with someone attractive they stumble across out in the wild.

1. How Writers and Coaches Can Make a Living with Great Life Stories

At number one, it is Desiree Driesenaar. She is a free spirit. She is curious about life. She loves to find systemic, upstream solutions. She is working to align economy, ecology, and the human spirit.

She is an exceptional writer. Her writing style is frank, easy to read, and extremely engaging. If you have never read one of her stories, read this one and become a fan.

You’d love reading her other stuff too. Follow her and wait for her next story.

We are writers. We have all at some point heard of Joseph Campbell and his Hero’s Journey as a famous narrative format, I presume. Well, this idea, free for all writers and coaches to give their own spin to, is based on the Heroine’s and Hero’s Journey.

Let me share the opportunities I see for this idea. And then, my friends, you are free to do with it whatever you want. Making a living as a writer (or as a coach) is a dream for many of us. And assisting you to do just that is part of my purpose with a capital P.

This post is part of the Top 10 Series — you can meet 400+ top writers with these links:

1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19–20–21–22–23–24–25–26–27–28–29–30–31–32–33–34–35–36–37–38–39–40–41–42–43–44–45–46–47–48–49–50–51–52 –53–54–55–56–57–58–59–60–61–62–63–64–65–66–67–68–69–70

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected in the Top 10, please share another one of your stories with a brief introduction and a short convincing review — in the comments. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

I am inviting you to join our private Facebook group for Illumination writers. Also please follow my publication — positive minds.

Dr Mehmet Yildiz has kindly allotted the top 10 series a full shelf on the front page of Illumination-Curated:

If you find any mistake, typo, or other error, please leave a private note for correction. Thanks.

To be included as a top 10 writer, read these curation guidelines carefully.

You can read my curated stories here.