I always rewrite each day up to the point where I stopped. When it is all finished, naturally you go over it. You get another chance to correct and rewrite when someone else types it, and you see it clean in type. The last chance is in the proofs. You're grateful for these different chances.
I've had editors over the years who couldn't find a clue if it was stapled to their butt.
I don't write a quick draft and then revise; instead, I work slowly page by page, revising and polishing.
Everybody needs an editor.
And the most important thing you can do is learn to edit yourself. And then go back and rewrite.
Editing is more by-the-hip. You look at a text and ask yourself how it can be improved.
I don't consider myself a great writer, but I would like to think that I can at least proof- read.
When you're editing, you want to be the perfect appreciator, not another writer.
Truth is, every writer has to be a good editor, and you have to edit yourself. It's a skill every writer has to acquire.
My self-editing process is intense.
Copy editors are very important and too rarely praised.
I should mention something that nobody ever thinks about, but proofreading takes a lot of time. After you write something, there are these proofs that keep coming, and there's this panicky feeling that 'This is me and I must make it better.'
Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
I write the paragraph, then I'm crossing out, changing words, trying to improve it. When it seems more or less OK, then I type it up because sometimes it's almost illegible, and if I wait, I might not be able to read it the next day.
What helps change bad writing into mediocre writing is editing. Editing is in bad shape in print journalism, and is in virtually nonexistent shape in online journalism.
I'm really happy to have the chance to talk about the editing process. It's something that I think doesn't get the weight it deserves, especially with the rise of self-publishing.
For any writer, a red pen is such a trigger.
I think I'm the person who keeps friends from hitting 'send.' I've definitely helped people go through emails before sending them. I'm a good proofreader.
If you re-read your work, you can find on re-reading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by re-reading and editing.
'TIME's spell-check always admonishes me whenever I compose a sentence in the passive voice, a warning that is often ignored by me.
Spell check exists for a reason.
I hate editing. I love to write, but I hate to reread my stuff. To revise.
