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From Good to Great: My Editing Process
(aka, How I Befriend My Drafts, Then Ruthlessly Judge Them)
Every draft has a soul. That’s what I tell myself as I stare lovingly at my Word doc… right before I tear it apart with the intensity of a reality show judge who hasn’t had coffee.
Because writing is emotional. But editing? That’s surgical. Precise. Relentless. And if done right, transformational.
I don’t believe in perfect drafts. I believe in drafts that sit quietly in the corner until they’re edited into something that makes the reader go, “Wait — who wrote this?!”
So if you’ve ever wondered what my editing process looks like behind the scenes (or if you’re procrastinating editing your own), here’s how I take a piece from “This is decent” to “Okay, I’m ready to hit publish.”
1. Step Back Before I Butcher It
The first thing I do after writing a draft? Abandon it. That’s right — I ghost my own words.
Distance gives me perspective. It helps me come back without the emotional attachment that made me think that sentence was genius when, in reality, it reads like a motivational quote written during a caffeine crash.
When I return, I ask:
- Does the emotional arc land?