How to turn a messy first draft into lovable copy

First drafts are messy. Ragged around the edges. Blurry.

Writing a first draft can feel like climbing a mountain. It’s strenuous work. Sometimes just putting one word in front of another feels hard, and you resist getting on with it. You have to push through to the finish, and it’s only when you get to the top that you can see how far you’ve come.

Finishing a first draft is a milestone. It will be far from perfect but that’s fine. Even though you’re only half way there at this point, I think the hardest work is done.

For me, editing and rewriting is like a warm bath after climbing that mountain. But I know not everyone sees it that way.

It feels easier to me because you’ve got something to work with when you’re editing. There are words to play with: to move around, to cut, or to expand on. That intimidating white page has gone, and taken the fear that you’ve got nothing to say with it. Your ideas are there on the page in front of you. It’s a scrappy, work-in-progress first draft, but it exists, and that’s a big achievement. So celebrate the win, and step away from the keyboard for a while.

I say ‘step away’ because my first bit of editing advice is to leave a gap between writing that first draft and trying to edit it. At least overnight, and longer, if you’re not on a deadline. Having the benefit of some time and distance really helps the editing process.

How to edit your writing

You’re looking to improve lots of different things when you’re editing a piece of copy. Here are just a few of them.

• Does it work for my reader?

• Does it make sense?

• Is it getting my point across?

• Is the pace right?

• Does it flow?

• Does it do what I set out to do?

• Does it sound like me?

Trying to tackle the whole lot at once can be overwhelming, so I break the editing stage down into two phases.

In the first phase - The Big Picture Edit - you’re working to get the big picture and flow right.

In the second - The Clarity Edit - you’re looking to tighten it up and polish it.

The Big Picture Edit

Time for some radical reworking, so roll your sleeves up and get stuck in. If it’s a big piece of work you might need to print it out and physically move sections around. It can be hard to manage cutting and pasting inside a huge document. (It’s so frustrating when you realise something would be better somewhere else, so you cut it, and then spend ages trying to remember where the perfect spot for it was, and then have to give up and put it back and start again. Far easier to do the moving around on paper, so you’ve got something to refer to while you’re editing on screen.)

Start shaping your ideas into short paragraphs. Look at the order. Think of the flow that would work best, so that one idea naturally leads to another. It will still be messy at this stage and that’s okay.

Cut here

Keep your real person reader firmly in your mind as you’re editing, in the same way you did when you were writing. Imagine they’re sitting right next to you as you talk to them. If you’ve included anything that you don’t think they need to hear, get rid of it. Cut anything that feels like it’s getting in the way of the story you’re telling.

Add more here

This big picture edit isn’t just cutting words though. It’s at this stage that you can spot the places where your argument feels a bit thin or insubstantial, or where some more colour or texture would give it more impact.

If you realise your reader needs a bit more detail, or you can think of an example that brings the idea to life, add it in. Is there a personal story you could add that would make this section come to life? A key piece of data? A quote from someone that backs up your argument? Some delicious sensory details that will make your writing zing?

Keep asking yourself these questions. Does this make sense? Does this idea fit here? Am I trying to say too much? Is there anything else I need to add?

Work on your flow

Once you feel like you’ve only got the important stuff on the page, you can start looking at the flow. You want to hook your reader’s attention right at the start, so put the key idea first. Maybe ditch a meandering introduction and leap straight in with your first point.

Make every paragraph count. Every paragraph should contain an idea that one before or the one after doesn’t. Chuck out any wobbly paragraphs that aren’t pulling their weight.

And then do the same with your sentences. Whatever it is you’re saying, just say it once. Ditch repetitive sentences. (Revel in your power! Cutting stuff is fun!)

And all the time, remember your reader, sitting there next to you. You’re just walking her through your piece. If you can sense she's getting bored or fidgety, cut the words where attention drifts. Keep her with you by sticking to the point.

When you’ve got as far as you can on this big picture edit leave it for a while. At least a day. More if you have the luxury of time.

The Clarity Edit

Okay, so now we’re getting close to the finished piece of writing. Your aim is to make it as clear and useful for your reader as you can. You want to delight her. Make your writing as good as it possibly can be.

With your sights set on making this the clearest piece possible, you might find more things that you can throw overboard, and my advice here is to be brutal.

It’s also the phase where you can focus on the detail of the words you choose, so that your finished piece of writing sings.

Things to ditch

Anything obvious that doesn’t need saying e.g. ‘In this blog I will…’

Cliches

Jargon. Have your ideal reader in mind and only use the words that she would use. Industry language that’s understood and used by your audience isn’t jargon, and can stay. Any words or phrases that you could use in a game of Business Bingo can go.

Over wordy phrases. Say ‘about’ instead of ‘in regard to.’

Things to add

Linking sentences. Build transitions - little word bridges - between paragraphs so your reader moves smoothly from one idea to the next.

More full stops. Break overly long sentences down into shorter ones.

Sub-headings. If you’re writing for the web, include sub-headings to make your writing easier to scan online.

Things to play with

Sentence structure. Put the most important words at the beginning of sentences for maximum impact.

Sentence length. While shorter sentences tend to work better, it’s good to vary sentence length overall. Mixing some longer sentences into your work alongside short and punchy ones makes your writing feel more conversational.

Word choice. If there’s a simpler word, use it. If there’s a more powerful word, swap it in.

And when you’ve gone as far as you can go, from painting the big picture down to considering the choice of individual words, step away from it again.

And finally

To make sure it’s absolutely as good as it can be, read it out loud. Check the punctuation in any spots where you find it hard to take a breath. Smooth out any places where you stumble.

My final piece of advice is to read it in a different format. On the web page, if there’s where it’s going to live. And on your mobile too.

If you’re still not sure, send it to a friend or colleague for a final check. And once you’re happy, send it off, press ‘publish’, go, go, go!