Editing With Purpose

Writers often face the dilemma of knowing when to stop editing their work. Too much editing can leave a work overwrought and awkward, whereas the right amount of editing can leave a work polished and effective.  Writers tend to be perfectionists and that tendency can often lead to over-editing. Finding the right touch is a matter of determining when you have reached the point of diminishing returns.  That means recognizing when your editing efforts are no longer contributing to the quality or effectiveness of your work and, in fact, may be making your writing worse. Conversely, writers also face the dilemma of knowing if they've done enough editing.  Too little editing can leave a work hollow and trite, lacking both the depth and style needed to be polished and effective. Writers tend to get involved with language to the point of being overly fond of turns of phrase or stylistic maneuvers, which can lead to a reluctance to edit them out if they aren't working in the piece. The challenge is being able to let go, even when it's language you really like   Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine when your editing is too little or too much:

• Why are you editing?  It's important to first understand your purpose for editing your work. Beyond the obvious point of improving your writing, what exactly are you trying to improve? Try to be as specific as you can.  For example, instead of editing because you feel your story or essay or poem is too boring, determine what is boring about it.  You might decide, for example, that your story has a plot that lacks suspense or dialogue that sounds stiff.  You might decide that your essay doesn't present its main points in a logical order or has a conclusion that doesn't sum things up.  You might decide that your poem has too many cliches or lacks smooth transitions between stanzas.  Now you have specific targets to work on that will make your editing efforts more focused.

• How has the editing improved your writing?  After an editing session, it is important to take a step back and understand how the editing has increased the effectiveness of your writing.  Be as specific as you can.  For example, do you now have a story that presents a conflict for your characters and a climax when that conflict is resolved?  Do you have an essay that presents your main points in an order that allows them to build on each other and strengthen your thesis?  Do you use the conclusion of your essay effectively to sum up those main points and hammer home your thesis?  Does your poem have fresh imagery rather than cliches and do the stanzas roll off the tongue in a way that makes them flow together into a cohesive unit?  If you can find specific, concrete ways your editing has improved your work, then you know your editing efforts have been effective.

• How do you feel about your editing?  After any significant amount of editing on a piece of writing, it's time to do a gut check and ask yourself how you feel about your editing efforts. For example, are you coming to editing sessions with energy or dread?  Do you feel positive that you can continue to make improvements in your work or do you feel like you've hit a wall? This gut check will let you know if you need to stop for awhile to get some distance from the writing or if you can constructively continue.  Sometimes it is critical to just stop working on a piece in order to get the psychological distance from it that is needed to look at it with fresh eyes.  Pay attention to the emotional side of editing and let your instincts guide you so you can make the editing process as positive as possible.

• Are your editing changes meaningful?  Eventually, you will need to determine if your editing work is done.  This is best answered by looking at the types of changes you are engaged in. For example, are you making substantial changes in wording and sentence structure, paragraph order and construction, or are you just tinkering with punctuation and minor word switches?  If your editing is substantial and materially changes the content and/or structure of your work, it is still meaningful to continue editing.  If, however, you're at the point where you're just tinkering and not making any substantial changes, it is time to stop.  Endless tinkering won't improve your work.  It will just drive you crazy.  At some point, you have to determine that you have made the work as good as you can make it and let it go.

Editing is the hardest part of a writer's work.  It is the most time-consuming and the most frustrating. But it can also be the most rewarding if done effectively.  Launching into revision work with a clear sense of purpose and an ability to judge its outcome will make the editing process much more effective and one of the aspects of writing you will look forward to.  Editing with purpose will also make the writing process more enjoyable for you and the results more enjoyable for your readers.