5 Tips For Self-Editing

Editing is a crucial part of writing. Before submitting your work, you should do your own self-edit so you’re sending your editor the best work possible. As an editor, it always makes my job easier, and more doable, whenever someone sends in their best, polished work.

Like any other skill, editing takes practice. There’s no one way to edit “right,” but I’ve found, through trial and error, what works for me. Here are five tips and suggestions for self-editing your work to take into consideration.

1. Leave your work alone for a few days.

You need to step away from your work before you edit. If you’re like me, you’ll inevitably get tired of looking at your work, making it harder to see what needs to be fixed. The length of time varies depending on how long the piece is and your own needs. I like to let a week go by for thorough editing, but for short pieces or those with looming deadlines, I usually give it a few days before editing. Again, see what works for you best!

2. Break up the editing process.

There are many different parts of editing, such as developmental editing or copyediting. Once you finish your written piece, try breaking up the editing stages. For example, focus on editing the actual content of your work on Monday, then work on copyediting for grammar and spelling on Friday. Figure out what works best for you by experimenting, and be open to changing your schedule as your project calls for it.

3. Mark up your document.

Don’t underestimate the power of the old-school red marker! Color coding your text, so your edits are in a different color, makes your edits stand out. Alternatively, you can turn on track changes in Word or Google Docs in your editing document as you make edits, then accept changes when you finish. Having a visual indicator of where you make changes can make it feel easier to edit. It can also make you feel more accomplished!

4. Set a timer.

Like with writing, I like to set aside time purely for editing. This is helpful in any work you do on projects; it’s easy to procrastinate when you have seemingly an endless amount of time, and it’s also too easy to overdo it to the point where you’re not improving your work. Try setting aside a little time first, maybe half an hour, or even 15-minute blocks. Practice with different times until you find your sweet spot (and that may change, which is okay!)

5. Use a spellchecker.

I live for the Grammarly app. Before sending your work to an editor, consider using a spellchecker, such as Grammarly or the spellcheck features on Word and Google Docs. This is great for the last step of editing to catch any last-minute spelling errors or grammatically incorrect sentences. Machines catch things that we don’t, so use that to your advantage

Ready, set, edit!

Remember, the most important thing to do when editing is just that: edit. Advice like this is always helpful, but don’t let it take the place of actually editing. Have a game plan set and then get it done. Most of the time, once we know where to start, the hard part is the doing. But once you start, you’ll be surprised by how quickly you finish.

Happy editing, everyone!