Reworking, Rethinking, Redoing an Essay

I am continually surprised how long it takes me to write, rework, rethink, and redo an essay!

As I journey on this path of “writer” I have had comments such as “Haven’t you finished your book yet?” “How long does it take to write a book?”

Writer is my third career. My first was adjunct faculty at the university level, then as teacher at a community college, then lecturer at a state university. At the first two institutions, I was teaching dental hygiene. In the third position, I was teaching Women’s Studies. This was after I went back to graduate school for my doctoral in sociology.

So I have spent the majority of my working career from 1963-2009 as a teacher.

This is by way of explanation, that I have come to realize that most people who ask this question have written their midterm the night before it was due and hoped for a passing grade.

I have come to realize that writing is reworking, rethinking, and redoing until you send it to another writer for feedback. Then there is more reworking, rethinking and redoing before you send it to the writing coach, and then continuing the same reworking, etc.

The last stage of writing is reworking, rethinking and redoing before sending an essay out for publication.

copyedited essay

This is my experience. And I’m sticking to it.

What is your experience when someone asks you, “Haven’t you finished your book yet?” or “Are you still writing that essay/book?”