Once you have completed a first draft, written the last sentence, and declared “I’m done!” with a sigh of relief, the self-editing begins. Any changes between that moment and the moment you send it to an editor are self-editing. This is the time you take your creative ideas and turn them into a work of art.

Why is self-editing important?
You can’t have good writing without self-editing. A muse is usually a very timid creature that will only show itself when its sure you won’t look at it too closely; most writers can’t limit what they put onto the page while they write the first draft. Actually, I have yet to meet a productive writer who limits what they write on the first draft. The best way to let the creativity pour out onto the page is to do it without worrying how it comes out. Unfortunately, that means what comes out unhindered onto the page tends to be mostly awful, sometimes even to the point of being unreadable to anyone but the author.
That’s where self-editing comes in. You take the good ideas written badly and turn them into something worth publishing and reading. If you’re a brand new aspiring author or a somewhat more experienced author looking to up your editing game, these tips will help you develop an effective system for editing your own work. Continue reading “How to Edit Your Own Writing Like a Pro”