New Way? What’s This About a New Way?

Kerouac has a quote, maybe his most famous quote:

“First thought, best thought.”

The idea is that you don’t edit your writing as you go along, you just tap in and flow.

That, I think is cool. I like the flow, and the stream of consciousness. Without going all Jungian, I think there’s something collectively cosmic there.

But still…

I’ve completely changed the way in which I write.

After years of copywriting, I see editing as an absolute necessity.

Advertising is all about the details, and months upon months of revisions.

It’s a crazy business.

Either way, what it’s taught me is that editing is crucial to get a solid, concise, single-minded message through.

Going back through my chapters, I can see places where I’m tapped in, and it’s great. Everything else can use a couple of rounds of intense polish and craft.