The original little book was self-published by Strunk as a classroom text and re-animated by White many years later. White died in 1985, but not until he had reworked Strunk's book at least four times and after an illustrious career. Professor Strunk's essential handbook survives in a 2008 released 50th anniversary edition.
Browsing the chapter on style, Strunk's admonition about revision spurred another look at yesterday's blog entry and at a column written for www.examiner.com. Both pieces needed revision only a day in the rear view mirror. Most writers (including this one) see what they thought they wrote rather than the words actually saved to file and posted for the world to read.
If a writer is not too sold on his own prowess, revision is revelation. Everyone has favorite words that steal into prose over and over like dandelions in a suburban lawnscape. Grab a thesaurus and find other words. On re-reading, entire phrases (added as afterthoughts) will work better earlier in sentences. Move them. Verb forms repeat. I make the same keystroke errors time and time again. Watch for similar challenges. Make sure all phrase parallelisms continue to conclusion.
The commandment to rewrite begs still another issue... revision time. Many of us work under deadline pressure. The number of errors that get passed on in a newspaper environment are legion. Some problems are traced to new technology and fewer eyes surveying the product. Most should be blamed on a self imposed definition of deadline.
Deadlines have become the last possible time to do anything. I, frankly, procrastinate by habit and inclination. The magic potion for this particular failing is simple. Assume any first draft reeks and time to recover during a re-write is required.
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