Secrets of Editing

By Gwyneth Amato | Staff Writer

Everyone who’s ever written before knows that revisions are often the most dreaded part of the creative process. They seem to drag on forever. Words blur into one wall of text, and before you know it, you’ve closed the document. It’s a common experience that many writers will procrastinate on, but with these three categories of tips and tricks, you’ll be on your writing game in no time. 

The Right Mindset 

The first editing tip is to change your scenery. This could be moving from one couch to another in your home, venturing out to the park, or visiting your favorite coffee shop. A new location can help refresh your perspective and restore your writing flow. 

Don’t start editing while writing. It can interrupt your work and cause you to evaluate every sentence you write going forward. Just write until you’re finished with the knowledge that you can always go back and edit. You have to write badly before you can write well.

Never start editing your writing as soon as you’ve finished. Let it sit for a while until you feel ready to edit. This could be anywhere from a few days to a few months, but always return when the time feels right or deadlines make it necessary. 

Making Mistakes Easier to Spot 

This is an old one, but it has stood the test of time for a reason. Printing out your manuscript and taking a red pen to it can feel invigorating, even if it’ll take more time to edit digitally. It can get you off a screen and work with something tangible. 

Even though this seems minor, changing the font or page color is a small trick that really does wonders. With a new font, eyes that have grown accustomed to the old one can catch mistakes they previously missed. 

Reading your writing aloud also helps you catch awkward phrasing, pacing, and difficult sentences. It can help with cadence and cutting out any unnecessary words to keep your writing clean.  

Like reading aloud, reading your manuscript backwards is another trick that gets your brain away from the story and focuses on specific sentences. You can zero in on the wording of sentences or paragraphs instead of plot or character. 

Editing Efficiency

Having another pair of eyes—a friend, a family member, or an editor—on a manuscript can usually catch the mistakes the author overlooked. Joining a writing group can be especially helpful with this. 

If your writing software has a find feature, search for common filler words such as “like,” “very,” “just,” or character names to cut down and refine prose. Not only will every reader thank you, but it’ll make your writing more concise and engaging. 

If you’re unsure of the definition of a word, check it. Nothing is worse than thinking you know a word and using it wrong. 

The final trick is maintaining a consistent format. It’s something most beginning writers will neglect, but the sooner you learn proper formatting, the cleaner your writing will look and the easier and more enjoyable your work will be to read. 

These are just a few suggestions to make the editing process a little less painful. Hopefully you found a new trick that you can take with you to edit with confidence.

Which of these editing tips have you tried before? Do you have any unconventional editing tricks that help you?

Remember that all editing takes time, and keep writing!