Self-Editing: Mindset

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It’s a sad fact (for me, anyway) that not all writers enjoy editing. It’s an integral part of the writing process, but as one of my writer clients puts it, ‘It’s like doing the dishes after a nice dinner.’ It can be tiresome, boring, uninteresting, painful (ever put your hand in boiling dishwater?) and can seem an anti-climatic end to the wonder that went before it.

In my years editing, I’ve seen nearly every reaction possible to the editing process. From the ever welcome ‘bring it on’ mindset to the less than enthusiastic groans of despair; from fighting every step of the way to refusing to open emails for fear of being emotionally wounded. More

Why Self-Editing Is Important

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If you think that editing is not your problem my writing friend, you are sorely mistaken. The job of editing a manuscript is one shared by writer and editor, not just an editor. It lacks professionalism and screams of laziness when you neglect fundamental writing practices in the belief that someone else will fix whatever mess you’ve left. Do you think best-selling authors submit a manuscript without having run a spellcheck or appropriate formatting? Hell no. A publisher wouldn’t stand for it. More