As a legal theorist (I often have to write things out to think them through) with lots of experience in this, I thought I might share a few thoughts
[A Thread on Academic Writing]
1) This genuine 'editing' transforms good work into excellent work. Too often we academics write with focus only on the content. Proper editing challenges us to focus on conveying the essential message
We need to bring this discipline to our own writing (I am telling this to myself too...)
I tell my students to write shit first (& quickly) - it's much better to get words down then refine
Step back. What are the essential argument? What is the conceptual infrastructure you need to provide?
I can then focus on the very specific without worrying about corrupting the broader piece
Once I am happy with a bit, I paste it back into the higher hierarchy, until I have a polished Part I in the draft.
Yes this is a labour intensive process.
But it makes a HUGE difference to the quality of the product, and allows you to cut significant words without losing substantive content
Good academic writing is an art form and it takes time and practice (on top of the subject matter expertise)
Thanks and END