You Erase More Than You Draw

My friend Frank told me he heard some excellent advise on writing from an art instructor. Advising students on drawing, the instructor said, “you erase more than you draw.”

Why is this such good advise for writers? Because what separates writers from those who write a bit is the willingness and ability to rewrite.

A writer must be willing to edit, re-edit, and begin again when needed. While it’s not possible to actually erase more than you draw, its a fact, the work of creating a charcoal portrait or an opening chapter to a novel comes not in the making, but in the re-making.

Approach your writing knowing that you’ll be “erasing more than you write,” and your course will be set to be the rewriter you need to be.

It's a fact, the work of creating a charcoal portrait or an opening chapter to a novel comes not in the making, but in the re-making. Share on X