Rewriting is (Still) the Secret to Writing Well

No surprises here

Military writers face a vexing problem: they must write fast while also writing well.

On one hand, military writing must be high quality. Commanders rely on it to make decisions. Subordinates depend on it for guidance. Clear, concise writing builds shared understanding and trust; confusing, wordy writing breeds misunderstanding and doubt.

But on the other hand, military writing must be fast. Operations move quickly. Good decisions depend on timely information. Military writers often face rapidly changing situations and tight deadlines.

The result is a dilemma: quality or speed. High-quality writing depends on rewriting, because first drafts rarely meet professional standards. But rewriting takes time that busy military professionals often lack.

What to do?

It’s tempting to abandon rewriting, sacrificing quality for speed. This is a mistake. Rewriting is still the secret to writing well. Jonathan Adams makes this point in his excellent article “Lightning Writing,” arguing that writers must budget time for rewriting, even when time is short. I agree. Here, I build on Jonathan’s advice with three ways to make rewriting part of your process—even when time is short.

First, develop short-form skills through long-form practice. Long-form writing forces you to distill lengthy, complex ideas into clear, direct arguments. It teaches you to murder your darlings by discarding anything that doesn’t support the main point. It trains you to spot and cut clutter. These skills will sharpen your short-form writing, which often demands a clear, concise, bottom line up front summary of complex ideas.

Long-form writing practice will also improve your first drafts. Long-form writing is an opportunity for methodical rewriting, which forces you to reflect on and improve the choices made during drafting. Over time, as you become more aware of these choices, your drafts will improve, narrowing the quality gap between your first and final drafts. The gap will never disappear, of course; first drafts are always rough, even for experienced writers. But over time, consistent long form writing will improve your first drafts, reducing the time needed to rewrite them.

Second, don’t rush your writing if you don’t have to. Not all writing must be lightning writing. When time allows, rest your writing to help you see its flaws clearly. Step away from a draft for a few hours or a day. A rested mind finds mistakes and better ways to say things.

For example, most emails don’t need instant responses. Instead of firing off a hasty reply, draft one, let it rest overnight, and rewrite it the next day before sending. If a reply must go out the same day, draft in the morning, step away for a few hours, then rewrite and send in the afternoon. All writing improves with rest (even a little), so rest it when you can.

Finally, if you must write fast, don’t skip rewriting—speed it up. Draft, then rewrite once, focusing on two tasks: BLUF and clutter. First, put the bottom line up front. Don’t make the reader hunt for it or guess. State your main point clearly and plainly at the start of your message (the first sentence is usually an excellent choice). Second, cut clutter. Remove everything that doesn’t support your main point. Delete every word, sentence, or passage that’s not doing useful work. While a quick rewrite isn’t as good as a thorough one, it’s far better than sending a first draft.

Good writing and fast writing don’t have to fight each other. You can do both if you practice long-form writing, rest your drafts, and rewrite—even if you’re in a hurry. Rewriting keeps you from sending half-formed thoughts. It helps you stay clear, direct, and concise. That’s what good military writing demands.