Should You Edit As You Write? – Productive Writers

Should you edit as you write? It’s a question every writer must ask, and there is no set answer. It truly is a personal preference — you should do what works best for you.

All Writers Are Editors

You don’t have to be a perfect editor, but you can’t count on others to fix all of your mistakes and make your writing better — you need to do that yourself. You can edit when you write and you can edit after you write, or you can do a mix of both. Just make sure you do it.

I Edit As I Write

Could just be the way my brain works and the nature of my personal psychological make-up, but I edit big-time as I’m clicking the keys. I’ll stop in mid-sentence to use a better word, add a phrase, or tighten a phrase. I’ll stop to add something five paragraphs back. I’ll stop to shuffle paragraphs, or add something to my outline. I’ll even stop to fix a typo (actually, I almost always stop to fix a typo).

Why? I do it because I’m concerned I may not catch that mistake on a later read-through, or that I may not remember that better word or phrase or sentence.

It works for me.

And I Edit After I Write

I always give everything a second reading, even if it’s just a quick e-mail or a Facebook post. For my professional freelance writing and for my posts here and on my other blogs, I do one thorough reading, editing as necessary, followed by at least one more go-through, even if it’s a quick one.

Your Take: Do You Edit As You Write?

What about you? Do you edit as you write, or do you go back and do it later, or do you do a mix like me?