Writing for Business: Expert Solutions to Everyday Challenges

Editing for Content

I have rewritten—often several times—every word I have ever written. My pencils outlast their erasers.

—Vladimir Nabokov

YOUR GOAL IN WRITING a first draft is to set forth all the key ideas in a logical manner. Once you complete that draft, your next task is to edit its content. In the first editing pass, you finalize the structure, logic, and message of your document.

Put your message in focus

Writers often lose focus because they are unclear about what they want to say. If you are unclear in your own mind, how can you expect readers to understand? Another common mistake of writers is focusing on their own agendas and neglecting ...