TABLE OF CONTENTS Simply go through what you have written and try to curb the length of sentences, question every passive verb and if possible make it active, prune redundant words, and look for nouns used instead of verbs.
BERNARD DIXON, Sciwrite (1973)
Every single word that I publish I write at least six times.
PAUL R. HALMOS, Interview in Paul Halmos: Celebrating 50 Years of Mathematics (1991)
Two pages of the final manuscript Although they look like a first draft, they had already been rewritten and retyped like almost every other page four or five times. With each rewrite I try to make what I have written tighter, stronger and more precise, eliminating every element that is not doing useful work. Then I go over it once more, reading it aloud, and am always amazed at how much clutter can still be cut.
WILLIAM ZINSSER, On Writing Well (1990)
When one has finished a substantial paper there is commonly a mood in which it seems that there is really nothing in it. Do not worry, later on you will be thinking "At least I could do something good then."
J. E. LITTLEWOOD, Littlewood's Miscellany [14] (1986)
All writing benefits from revision. Your first attempt can always be made clearer, more concise, and more forceful. Effective revision is a skill that is acquired through practice. A prerequisite is an understanding of the principles of writing discussed in the previous chapters,...
