What Happens When Writers Edit Their Own Work
We can’t distinguish the good from the bad
Every writer knows that editing is key to making good work great. But editing is often a process we minimize because:
- It takes time
- We just want to publish and move on to the next piece
- Who wants to spend hours finding and correcting their own mistakes?
Through the years, I’ve done my share of editing both my work and the work of others and I find that I often mark up other people’s work way more than I do my own. It’s not because my writing doesn’t require a lot of editing but because writers can’t and shouldn’t edit their own work.
Our ego can’t handle the criticism
There are some writers who can put their egos aside and mercilessly edit their own work. They cut, add, or change entire paragraphs or arguments.
But most writers won’t.
Writers are a complicated bunch. We are our own biggest critics yet we are also completely head over heels in love with ourselves and our work (or maybe that’s true of the human race in general).
Even in our humblest moments, we like to believe that everything we put out there is perfect or near-perfect so when we’re…
