I have spent the past two decades writing for others and thus learned a thing or two about the ins and outs of being a freelance copywriter. One of the most important best practices I adopted early on, after a few client interactions, was to incorporate ample time into project timelines for revisions.
With the exception of a few rare occasions where I am able to string together the perfect sequence of words that hit their mark from the get-go, writing requires many factors to come together to successfully meet its ultimate objective. I pride myself on turning in pretty solid first drafts, but I always know there will and should be revisions.
When writing for companies or brands that have multiple goals for marketing or sales content or collateral, messaging, and narrative have to be created and interwoven to check many boxes, which can be a big ask.
You then have a team of individuals, all with different personal preferences, that need to weigh in and all approve of the final text. A scenario with track changes from five people who don’t read (or agree) with the other’s suggested edits can quickly become a project management debacle that takes up bandwidth and valuable time.
Word Precision Rarely Happens With A First Draft
I have also experienced an unfortunate expectation at times that when you hire me to write for you that I should be able to crank out word precision after a first draft. That isn’t a realistic lens, nor should it be. So I’ve adjusted my onboarding with new clients to address that perception, but *sigh* that dialogue still surfaces every now and then.
My general process for writing projects is to initially architect out a framework for every piece I pen, whether they be articles, white papers, website copy, collateral, case studies, or blogs. I then backfill text into the sections and subsections. Many times I have to spend time doing research on the topic to help better inform how I articulate and construct content.
Everything I work on requires strategically mapping out my ideas for a piece. I may have a ton of information that has been supplied by a client or I may have very little to go on.
Writing, no matter the medium, is a process of discovery every time I sit down. As I begin writing, often other ideas bubble to the surface, which then necessitates, if relevant, the need to re-choreograph the piece to make those additions and make them not feel like an afterthought.
Revisions Are Very Much a Part of The Craft of Writing
With most clients, I work in buffer time for revisions as it is essential to step away from a writing project after I finish a draft, then come back later and revisit it to ensure that from a reader’s perspective, it connects the dots from beginning to end.
If I stumble over a sentence or wording that feels “clunky,” a reader most likely will feel similar, so modifications need to be made. Does the order make sense? Are the transitions clean? Does it read with balance, meaning is there too much emphasis in one place for a talking point, and then there is a lean explanation for another?
Are the tone and formality of the language appropriate for the audience I’m writing for? Have I provided enough detail to satisfy a reader’s curiosity? With larger pieces, did I close the loop and summarize appropriately? If writing a CTA (call-to-action), is it clear and delineated as a next step?
Revisions are not editing (polishing) or proofreading (fixing word woes); revising means considering if there are more vivid examples to illustrate my point or shifting the order of the work to help the reader follow better. Sometimes it means adding or deleting material to best address the aforementioned balance or emphasis.
The Process of Writing Isn’t a Linear One
Writing is a circular process. I certainly don’t do everything in some specific order. Each project dictates how I go about things. Technical pieces require way more work than, say, a blog piece on organizing. A case study takes hours more to write than a catalog introduction because it showcases very minute details and a particular story. Establishing a framework helps me to organize my thoughts, but writing isn’t linear, and for those who don’t write or think it is relatively easy to write, it can be challenging to explain to them that I don’t just plunk myself down and words come tumbling out. I wish.
Sometimes I write something and then tinker with it before moving on. The key to writing well is to let the piece breathe a bit. If I feel rushed because a turn time has been moved up unexpectedly or there is a last-minute need, I can deliver, but revision time is not always permitted in those situations, so they are not my favorite type of assignment.
I have also learned valuable lessons from being a copywriter, NOT to feel married to the words I craft. Inevitably, there will be changes. Sometimes just a handful, and other times, a whole heck of a lot.
My job at the end of the day is to look at the entire piece, not just isolated words or sentences to be sure that the content is cohesive and consistent. I see the ability to pivot and revise as a strength, not a weakness. Revisions are about taking a second (or third or fourth) look to see if what has been written clearly conveys, convinces, or compels action.