Revision-Reflection-Alternatives in Writing

I give a lot of thought to my writing before I sit down and start typing. I have a tendency to think through the paper I want to write to the extent of what I want to say and how I want to say it . The genre is normally defined by the nature of the writing itself and that genre normally enables or disables what I want to say and how I will say it. In the case of a letter-to-the-editor, I have a limited amount of space and a small opportunity window to captivate my reader and tell my story before the reader moves on. I need to engage the reader quickly and keep their attention through a limited amount of space. Many readers skip to the writers name before they decide whether they read the article or pass over it. I think that has to do with the credibility and authority of the writer, past esperience as a reader, and the merits of what that person might have to say from previous writings. If I start reading a column and the writer says, "you know what I mean" I shut down like a diesel engine that just ran out of fuel. I the writer doesn't show me valid evidence or logic in their reasoning, I rarely continue on with the article. These observations really become the guidelines for my own writing; to provide support and evidence for what I write. Sometimes people just want to vent, or they write from frustration or anger, and those attitudes quickly distort and dimish their credibility and the effort of their story.
I think as writers we ned to reflect on what the purpose of our writing is. Do we want to inform, reflect, argue, or persuade the reader into our belief system, or perhaps just provide a moment of reflection on an issue of general concern to the reader? Whatever the case, we need to keep focus on the object of our writing so that we don't find ourselves speaking to ourself. The writer needs to assess and reassess the objectives of the writing and think about your thinking on the issue during the writing and revision stages. A good exercise is to take a positive position on an issue, and then take the opposite position with another paper. This exercise will help focus on details and strategies, and help clarify thinking on an issue.
There are, of course, alternatives to every writing situation and the exploration of those alternatives. Something may be missing in the piece, or it may be shallow or hallow, or we may feel restricted by the self-imposed boundaries, or we may simply feel restless and unsatisfied. It may be recognition of incompleteness that disturbs the writer. Whatever the case, revision and reflection are opportunities to revisit the writing and reassess the process and post-process of that effort. On a rare occasion, revision may seem inadequate and truely an inappropriate response to my latest effort. The more reasonable and responsible reaction is a complete trashing and a return to invention. Generally these efforts are in response to a good night's sleep and the attitude adjustment that can bring about. Sometimes our mind-set is such that we focus with blinders rather than wide-angle lenses.