What if editing isn’t drudgery, but the most delightful part of your writing process?So you’re revising yet another draft. You’re hoping against hope that this draft will be your final draft. Which, coincidentally, is also what you hoped for the last draft, and the one before that.Editing is a slog you’re trudging through. You dream of the day when you can escape this drudgery and return to the free-flowing fun of writing the first draft of your next book.But what if editing isn’t an obstacle ...
What if editing isn’t drudgery, but the most delightful part of your writing process?
So you’re revising yet another draft. You’re hoping against hope that this draft will be your final draft. Which, coincidentally, is also what you hoped for the last draft, and the one before that.
Editing is a slog you’re trudging through. You dream of the day when you can escape this drudgery and return to the free-flowing fun of writing the first draft of your next book.
But what if editing isn’t an obstacle you have to grit your teeth and bear?
What if it’s where the magic happens?
It would release the pressure to make this draft your last draft. It would make the process itself more fun, a reward in and of itself. And paradoxically, when you’re working from pleasure rather than pressure, your editing work could become more efficient, because you give the process the space it needs.
So I asked six authors, editors, and book coaches the same question:
What do you love about editing?
The answers they shared vary widely. They’re a whole host of things: everything from puzzle-solving and understanding the mechanics that makes something work to personal development, community building, and meaning-making.
In this episode, I’m sharing all their answers with you, in hopes of sparking a little of your own editing joy.
Listen for what resonates with you. You might discover one new thing to love—or a whole new perspective on revision.
And if you already love editing, well, I think you’ll find this episode an absolute delight.
Plus, I want to know what you love about editing! Record a 1-minute voicemail sharing what you love about editing, and I might feature it in a future podcast episode.
Tell me what you love about editing here »
Links mentioned in the episode:
- Savannah Gilbo: 91. How to Use Genre as a Revision Tool
- A.S. King: 82. How Surrealist Pantser A.S. King Revises Award-Winning Novels
- Cathryn deVries: 76. Scene Workshop: Hook Your Readers in Chapter One
- Brannan Sirratt: 80. How to Use Revision Tools Like the Story Authority You Already Are
- Abigail K. Perry: 86. How Great First Chapters Make Readers Care
- Abigail K. Perry: 89. How Great First Lines Make Readers Pay Attention
- Kim Kessler & Cathryn deVries: 78. How Multiple Layers of Editing Combine to Perfect Your Story
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