The Task of Re-writing
Re-writing a piece of text seems really easy right? How difficult can it be? In some cases, all you have to do is switch the order of the sentences, paragraphs or a few words. While in some more cases you just have to combine the information given in two or more articles related to a subject. In few more cases, may be all you are required to do is to write an article on a subject; so you search for the content online and simply put it together in your own words. Or you need to re-write because somebody else asked you to (you know what I mean here…don’t you!).
Well…if you are thinking that this is all that you should know about re-writing, then think again. Reasons- neither I would have written this article on re-writing nor you would have wanted to read it. There is a lot more to it that you should know. Here it goes.
First of all, re-writing is not at all an easy job. You always need somebody better than you to tell you that whatever you have written needs a re-writing because of some reason or another. So, let’s assume that this piece of advice can be given only to those who are relatively new to this form of writing. For people who already write brilliantly, they just need to practice. They need to write more and more and should themselves judge whether they should re-write their text or not.
In case you are required to re-write a particular piece of text, then the most important thing to be remembered here is that you do not miss out on any piece of information provided in the original text. The distinction between re-writing and editing should always be known and maintained.
Now let us move on to other cases when re-writing is required. Whether it is combining the content given in two or more articles or simply writing a new one, here are some things that should be taken care of and some qualities one must develop in order to get better at re-writing.
• Patience is the most necessary quality. Re-writing can be a very frustrating task at times. You may feel like putting an end to it all and try to rush up with things. Remember, this shall only spoil your work.
• You need to be good at judging which piece of information is relevant for your article and which is not. Thus, it is advisable that one should read a lot on that specific topic so that you at least know what you are writing about. It is only then that you will automatically know what should be included and what should be excluded.
• Try and not to copy the style of writing of the original text. Write in your own style. This shall only help you make it unique and original in your own sense. Fiddling around with a few sentences will not help.
Being original while re-writing is undoubtedly a tough task but it is not impossible. Re-writing more often shall definitely help.
Good luck!