It's Not About Writing, It's About Rewriting

Want to know how good writers consistently produce high-quality work? Here's a clue: it's not about writing. It's about rewriting.

Regardless of how talented of a writer you are, most of the first draft you will write won't be good. In fact, most of them will probably be crap - unless you're some kind of robot who can crank out a high-level of writing every single time. Do you think your favorite author sat down, wrote chapter by chapter of a book and turned it in without so much as a second pass?

The polish you see in professionally-written materials is rarely the result of one inspired night of writing. Most of the time, it is about people using a good writer's editing software, as well as taking the time to read through their pieces objectively, finding parts that can be improved and doing what's necessary to make it better. The bulk of the job rests not in the writing; rather, it relies on how well you can edit and revise what you've originally put to paper.

Your first draft isn't supposed to be good. That's true of everyone - even the most brilliant among us. That's why recommend people just barrel through any blocks, any hindrances in order to finish a draft. Who cares if it's bad? What sets the pros from the dabblers, though, is the ability and the willingness to keep plugging at the material, rewriting it till it's as good as they imagined it can be.