In a recent post, Write To Done’s Leo Babuta (of Zen Habits fame) discussed revision as primarily a process of simplifying.  The tips he provides in that post focus on removing the inessential and the verbose (the “cluttered” parts of a piece of writing, so to speak).  Those of you who are familiar with Leo’s writerly ethos will appreciate that his definition of revision is consistent with his blogs’ values and goals.

Certainly, part of the revision process consists of pruning away those parts of the piece that don’t work.  When drafting, it’s easy to perpetrate wordy, vague sentences and wandering paragraphs in the name of getting started with a draft. 

More to the point, at the drafting stage these kinds of writing “sins” are acceptable.  The goal of drafting is to get your ideas out on paper (or on the screen) where you can work with them.  If you stop to rework every passive construction that pops into your head as you draft, you’re bound to lose some ideas.  It’s in revision that you clean, tighten, and polish your sentences.

But I like to think about revision in a different way.  For me, the most useful way to approach revision is as a process of re-envisioning.  When I re-envision, I engage the draft on several fronts.  Next time you approach the task of revision, I hope you’ll try thinking about it in the following ways.  You might find that your attitude shapes your outcome.   

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Welcome to Writing Power!

The purpose of Writing Power is to improve your written communication skills with the ultimate aim of improving your life.  I will not focus on writing in a vacuum, as an end in itself.  Rather, I view writing as a tool.  By using this tool, and by taking care to sharpen it, we can achieve happiness and success in our personal and professional lives. 

Writing excites me because it represents pure possibility.  When you begin to think about the way you communicate in writing, you begin a process of reorienting your approach to the world.  You develop an increased consciousness that eventually pervades the way you think and the way you interact with people and ideas in your environment.  And within that consciousness, you have everything you need to design your ideal life.

If your writing skills are in need of a tune-up, you’ve come to the right place.  Each day, I will offer tips and tricks on everything from writing a killer cover letter to using writing to stay productive, organized, and focused on your goals.  All this, and easy-to-remember rules for correct semicolon usage to boot.

Those of you who already have a high aptitude for writing (or who have worked your tails off to develop your writing skills) will also find much to enjoy here, I hope.  You’ll be able to think about writing through the new perspectives from posts and comments, and appreciate the power of your writing strengths.  You’ll also find ways to leverage your skill to improve your productivity, increase your income, and amplify your life. 

I hope you’ll join me.