Stop Editing As You Write

How to put the “Write first, edit later” mantra into practice

“Write first, edit later.” It’s a cardinal rule for writers. Yes, there’s one rule that precedes it: there are no rules. But the “Write first, edit later” rule clocks in as a close second.

The principle is simple. Write-first-edit-later means that you get your thoughts out on paper or the screen before you go back and tidy them up. Doing so means you save time and save work. “Do not edit while writing,” says Dr. Steven R. Shaw, associate professor at McGill University and editor of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology. “There are many ways to be an efficient writer, but editing while writing is not one.”

Yet I struggle to write without stopping. My main problem, I confess, is that I don’t always draw the line between the three key writing tasks — research, writing, and editing. When I have not determined in my mind that I am writing — rather than researching or editing — then I get bogged down.

For instance, sometimes I get started writing while my idea is just a seed. In those situations, I need to do more research before I start typing. Other times, I’ve not organized my thoughts. All my mumbo-jumbo content needs to be plastered into a good old-fashioned outline before I start pecking away. Time slips away until I…