Rewrite Pro Tips - Go Low and Go High!

Are facing down a rewrite? The first hurdle can be getting started. One of the best ways to start is yes, start. But another great way is to go back to the “why” behind what you’re writing. I was recently asked to revisit the first half of my novel by my literary agent. Not the words you want to hear, but as I’ve said before, writing is rewriting.

Getting started was proving to be harder than I thought, so I decided to go low - into the roots of my story, and go high - look at the context of the world my characters are living in. Doing a sketch on both helped me get started.

Creative and Business Writing

This can work wonders if you are writing fiction, or nonfiction. But it’s also helpful if you are in business and working on everything from an internal stakeholder document to a communique to pique the interest of external folks. 

Dig Deep for The Why 

If my rewrite is for a piece of fiction, I’ll get right into my character’s motivation for doing what they do. What are their internal triggers, how do they react when someone flips their switch? But, more importantly, how did they get into this headspace in the first place? What were the circumstances that led them to operate the way they do? And since every good character needs some serious development, no one wants to read about someone who doesn’t change - for the good or bad, these deeply embedded roots just might need a bit of excavation. Change most often happens when motives are brought into the light. I can’t do any of that without getting low.

Go High for Perspective

Conversely, I need to go high, to understand the world in which my characters find themselves to properly help them process their feelings. External influences often war with their internal life producing interesting results. Tension is critical for good character development. In the end, most of us don’t like to change, we do it because we must. 

Context Matters!

I constantly use this “high up” approach in my business writing. There is SO much rewriting in business! Everything I do for my clients, whether presented internally, or prepared for external use is measured against the world in which we live, the context of culture - popular, and otherwise. I want to make sure that whatever I am writing will meet a need by understanding what forces surround the business, and the mindset of the person who will be reading the document.

So, if you need to embrace a rewrite try the go low/go high approach. I’ve found its a great help!