by
On your desk today is the “rewrite article above” request. Happends among the best among us! Maybe you are ghostwriting, maybe bored with the same old stuff, maybe laboring through a late-night coffee buzz. Still, rolling up your sleeves and reevaluating current material can be highly rewarding. You delve in, seize the essential idea, and revive every paragraph – extra resources.
Read the original material twice first. Somewhere else. Then list three basic ideas that genuinely appeal to you. Most likely, that stayed as the main focus; these ideas are your starting point. You do not want to replicate; you want to riff, like jazz musicians do on a basic—different yet faithful in spirit. Have you danced in a wedding when everyone else was unsure about what to do next? This is how to approach things: challenge even yourself, outside the expected.
Break apart literature. Short sentences—perhaps a zinger here and there—for some flavor. extended sentences? Like a blue steak, keep them rare; they are tasteful for impact but not very common. Paragraph size counts; your readers’ eyes must breathe, much like hikers on a trail needs water breaks.
Let’s now talk about word choice. Change the tasteless for the strong; steer clear of slinking into obscurity bog. Add idioms, sprinkle analogies, paint with fresh brushes. Maybe the first says “streamlined procedure.” Turn it “Like butter on warm toast, it just works,” or “Easy as pie”. Sometimes a little creative anarchy is beneficial.
Start to sound then like a cracking. Chatty aids. Rather than say, “it is important to consider several factors,” counsel, “let’s face it, if you skip these steps, you might be chasing your own tail.” You are not a robot regiting facts; you have a story and a wink.
Search for illicit words. If the rewritten content reads like a legal document, smooth it out. If you see constraining language, imagine yourself telling a friend secrets on your porch at sunset. Rather than “perfect planning,” “paying close attention, like a chef guarding grandma’s chili recipe.” Let “bespoke” for “just right for you” pass. Jargon soup is not a dish that appeals much.
Count the flows. Let the work breathe between more heavier concepts. Maybe a joke on how, even though they never rewrite their meows, cats always get what they want. Where you are able, question assumptions. Ask questions: “Has anyone ever worked on a piece with a child jingling keys in the background? One is on a circus performance. At least keeps readers from nodding off!
One speaks out the last lap. Should your tongue twist, the brain of your reader will also twist. Alter. Cut off the fat. Add a small pinch of salt. Try to avoid appearing in a waiting area reading from a manual.
By now the article should be something you would have read over coffee, perhaps while browsing before the sun rises. It keeps the same knowledge from before even with a spring in its stride. All a piece calls is occasionally a new set of shoes and some attitude. So, get ready the next time the rewrite project knocks by having fun turning drab prose Technicolor.