It also gives the writer, with the help of the editor, time to understand what he does not know or what she has failed to communicate. Read it aloud. If some writers would only listen to their own stories by reading them aloud, they would come to understand how dense and confusing their prose is. Reading out loud forces the writer and editor to experience the linear nature of the reader's path to understanding. One word follows another, one thought follows another.
Tools Introduce new or difficult elements one at a time.
A tough story to read, and to edit, is the one that introduces 20 characters to readers in a dozen paragraphs. The frustrated reader turns back again and again to keep things straight, or just gives up. Recognize the value of repetition. Teachers know the value of repetition. Editors tend to be suspicious of repetition.