It took me years to get comfortable reading my own writing. It’s a lot like hearing yourself talk on camera — it’s always awkward at first.
Because of this fear of our own voice, we as writers tend to avoid the editing process. We’d rather fly through the draft and ship it without a second thought. It may even feel more “natural” to do it this way.
But I can assure you: By hiding from the editing process, you’re opening yourself up to far more pain and embarrassment than you’re avoiding.
Nothing kills a person’s credibility like an ill-placed typo. I know — it’s not fair to judge someone by a mistake we ALL make — but we do. It’s just human nature. And the more important a piece of writing, the worse every typo makes you look.
Beyond typos, you also risk sounding repetitive or skipping a step in the ol’ logical progression. Have you ever read an email that seemed, literally, half-finished? That’s what you get for not editing your work.
How to edit like a pro (and maybe have some fun with it)
But enough with my fire and brimstone sermon on the sins of non-editors. What I’d rather focus on is the fun of editing (I know, I know… stay with me here).
If you’re reading this newsletter, I know you’re a doer. You like to get shit done. You may also be on the perfectionist spectrum. You like things done right.
And while editing is difficult work, it offers the same excitement and pride as putting the final touches on a major new product or initiative.
There’s beauty in the details. If you can learn to appreciate editing, your writing won’t just get better — you will start to thoroughly enjoy it.
So, how do you learn to edit well? I’m not going to get into the specifics of grammar and punctuation. There are plenty of grammar books that will do a better job than me. (Admittedly, I still don’t know what a preposition is.)
Instead, let’s look at the process of editing. After all, you know good writing when you see it. I’m going to teach you to SEE good writing in your own work.
Quick note before diving in: Give yourself a little time between finishing your draft and starting to edit. It could be 10 minutes or a week - the goal is to go in with fresh eyes.
Good editing is, in fact, a series of edits:
Step 1: The Substance Edit
Your first round of editing is all about the structure and content. Are you saying everything you need to? Does it make sense to the reader? Is anything vital missing?
The substance edit should be relatively quick. Try to read it as your reader would: Slightly disconnected and scanning for the big ideas. Can you find them easily? Also, are you leading the reader through your ideas in a logical way?
The goal of the substance edit is to feel good about the content. Sure, there may be typos and weird sentences, but the big ideas are all there, and the logic is sound.
Step 2: The line-by-line edit
This is easily the most difficult step of the writing process. It gets even harder if your piece is longer than an email. The line-by-line edit takes a keen, focused eye. But you don’t need to be an english major — you just need to take your time.
The goal of the line-by-line edit is to optimize each sentence. Say exactly what needs to be said — no more and no less. While it may seem like overkill for a disinterested reader, these are the exact details that signal credibility and authority — often subconsciously.
The line-by-line edit is exactly what it sounds like. Read each sentence, line-by-line, without rushing. With each line, ask yourself a series of questions:
Am I saying what needs to be said?
Is it necessary?
Is it as short as possible?
Is it as simple as possible?
Is it as clear as possible?
Am I missing anything?
While this will always be a time-consuming step, it does get easier with practice. Today I can do my line-by-line edit about twice as fast as I could when I first started writing professionally. Keep at it.
Step 3: Read Aloud Edit
After your line-by-line, you’ll probably be sick of your own voice. Take a break if needed, because you’re going to listen to yourself again. This time, you will be reading out loud.
By reading your work out loud, you will catch things you never could otherwise. You’ll notice strange phrases and awkward strings of sentences. Maybe a certain paragraph cuts off abruptly, while another drags on.
You don’t notice these things when editing line-by-line, but you do when your words are spoken out loud.
You may already read your writing out loud before sending. It’s a well-known tactic for catching writing errors. It’s not cheating - keep doing it.
Step 4: Copy edit
Last but not least is the step that most people think of when they hear the word “edit.” This is the copy edit — reviewing grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
To be very honest, most of the copy editor’s work can be automated with tools like Grammarly and Hemingway. I use Grammarly — it’s a major timesaver. It’s also saved me embarrassing typos I didn’t catch through my first THREE edits.
I highly recommend using a grammar tool for your copy editing.
Editing creates confidence
If you want to write with confidence, you must face your fear of re-reading your work. Editing is where great writing is made. The more you do it, the more confident you’ll become in the process and the final product.