on writing better
10 Editing Practices That Can Transform Your Story From Basic to Brilliant
NOT about great headlines, formatting, or one-line sentences — the ones not talked about.
Steven Spielberg once asked Jackie Chan — how do you do such wonderful stunts?
“Simple — I Roll, Action, Jump, Hospital,” Jackie replied!
The usual grounded and funny Jackie Chan answer. Well, what he meant was the routine is so ingrained in him that it comes naturally. And as writers, we also need to pick a similar thread and spin it to habit.
Write. Edit. Edit. Edit. Publish.
No, it's not a typo. It is intentional — the three Edits. Because:
Every draft is shitty; the magic you see happens in the editing process.
It is this editing gene we need to ingrain in our writing cells. And editing is not just about doing some things and not doing others — it is a mix of good techniques and the right mindset.
Once you master that, it becomes easier to do the stunts that look BRILLIANT to others but are pretty BASIC for you.
