How to Feel Motivated About Editing

“The first draft reveals the art; revision reveals the artist.”

― Michael Lee

If there’s one part of the writing process that most of us dread, it’s editing. This stage doesn’t have the creative freedom and literary abandon you felt when you first wrote it, but it’s still a vital part.

I was the absolute worst editor when I started writing. In the years since, I’ve become decent enough, but my entire writing pipeline when I was a beginner was not conducive to editing.

Here’s what I did. I would literally finish a chapter of my terrible, horrible novel and I would print it out using expensive printer ink. I would take my print out I would put it in a folder. I would put that folder in a binder and be like “this is my manuscript.”

It was really ridiculous. So if you ever feel like you have a bad mindset when it comes to editing, always remember, it could be worse.

Like good pizza dough, you need to let your writing rest for a while.

Try to put things aside for a little bit of time. That way, when you come back to it, it doesn’t feel too fresh in your mind.

If you haven’t given your writing a little time to rise, you’re going to miss things because the words are still echoing in your head with perfect clarity. You won’t be able to fix all the mistakes or spot any weaknesses you want to improve.

One of the pitfalls that I’ve made as an editor is finishing something and then immediately proofreading it. It’s also demoralizing to finish something then immediately try to edit it.

You aren’t giving yourself any time to revel in that sense of accomplishment that comes with any kind of writing. When you want to improve your motivation to edit, being strategic about how you approach editing is key.

Look up your favorite writers and see what they have to say about editing.

“Learn to enjoy this tidying process. I don’t like to write; I like to have written. But I love to rewrite. I especially like to cut: to press the DELETE key and see an unnecessary word or phrase or sentence vanish into the electricity.

I like to replace a humdrum word with one that has more precision or color. I like to strengthen the transition between one sentence and another. I like to rephrase a drab sentence to give it a more pleasing rhythm or a more graceful musical line.”

―William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

There are a thousand different approaches you can take, but indulging in a little research isn’t exactly procrastination.

Try your favorite authors’ approaches. You’re likely to be more receptive to a process that comes from someone you respect and enjoy the writing of.

The writers you seek out are probably going to tell you that even they had to do a lot of editing. It’s kind of reassuring because it reminds you that every first draft is going to be rough. And that’s perfectly okay.

Don’t beat yourself up if you go back to edit and don’t like what you see.

Give yourself a break and know that you’re working to make it the best it can possibly be.

If you really aren’t happy with your first draft and you’re not feeling confident, look back on some of your older work. Pick something up from a few years ago. There’s going to be a difference. Your masterpiece of a few years ago might not even be as good as your rough draft of today.

Look something very old and unpolished. Let yourself be proud of the progress you’ve made. If you compare something you wrote two or more years ago to what you’re working on right now, you’ll quickly see all the ways you’ve improved.

It’s the subtle things like word choice or I like the plausibility of your dialogue.

Put yourself in the editing mood with the right playlist, environment, and fuel.

"The process of editing is what I enjoy most ― putting the pieces together and making sense out of them."

―Christian Marclay

Break out your most motivational songs. Put yourself in a place where you can focus and channel your inner wordsmith.

If treating yourself to a special cup of coffee, tea, a smoothie, or a glass of wine will help you get into the editing mood, indulge a little.

If you sit down to reinvigorate your writing soundtrack, you should do the same with your editing soundtrack. Sometimes doing something as simple as putting together a list of loud songs to get you pumped up can help you get ready to buckle down and edit.

Make a big change to your entire writing and editing process.

Making yourself motivated sometimes means getting out of your routine. Routines turn into ruts awfully fast.

If you typically stick with digital devices, experiment and see if handwriting helps your writing process.

I almost exclusively hand wrote first drafts for the better part of three years. At the time, not everyone had tablets and smartphones and paper was simply the most convenient option for writing on the go.

When it comes time to type up that handwritten draft, you’re going to change some words here and there. It doesn’t feel like editing since you’re primarily focused on transcribing, but you’re simultaneously editing. It’s nice because you start making some of those early revisions long before you sit down to fully edit your work.

Remind yourself that even experienced, professional writers still need to take the time to edit their work.

“As his editor put it, “Yeah, it’s a piece of shit, but it’s good shit.”

― Margaret Atwood, Stone Mattress: Nine Tales

No first draft will ever be a masterpiece. You may need motivational strategies to get you editing, but it’s

It’s possible to enjoy the process. It took me about ten years of writing regularly before I got to the point that I could enjoy editing, but there’s no reason you can’t embrace the process much faster.

Work through your editing. Work to enjoy your editing. If you can edit with a smile on your face, it’ll make the task much less tedious.

There's beauty in iteration.

As you keep editing your work, you will make meaningful changes that transform your writing. It can take a lot of iterations to get there, but as you keep pushing, you'll inch closer to making your composition as good as it can be.

It takes patience to reach that point where you're making big changes with each iteration. But if you keep an open mind to feedback and challenge yourself to improve as both an editor and as a writer, you will get there.