Write Like No One Is Reading, Edit Without Mercy
One of the most common pieces of advice given to aspiring writers is to write like no one is reading. The idea is that if you focus too much on what others might think of your writing, you'll stifle your creativity and your unique voice. It's a good mindset to have when you're first drafting your work, but it's not enough to produce a polished final product. That's where editing comes in, and when it comes to editing, the motto should be to edit without mercy.
Editing can be a painful process. You've toiled away writing a first draft for months or sometimes years, and now you have to cut, reword, and rearrange your words. But if you want your writing to be the best it can be, you have to be willing to make tough choices and ‘kill your darlings’, which is a quote attributed to the writer William Faulkner. It essentially means that writers should be willing to remove or revise parts of their writing that they may be particularly fond of, if it doesn't serve the overall story or message. Here are some tips to help you edit your work without mercy:
Take a break: (Yes, that old chestnut!) After you've finished your first draft, set it aside for a few days or even a week. This will give you some distance from your writing and help you approach it with fresh eyes and hopefully with loads of new input from your subconscious brain!
Read it out loud: Reading your work out loud can help you identify awkward phrasing, repetitive words, and other issues you might not catch when reading silently. This is particularly important for people who have a weak spot when it comes to punctuation; something I see often when editing for clients is a lack or misplacement of commas. We sometimes can only see where the commas or natural pause should be, by reading aloud.
Look for redundancies: This includes redundant phrases, adjectives, and adverbs. Cut out anything that doesn't add to the meaning of your writing. You don’t need to say ‘he whispered quietly’, as whispering tends to be a quiet action, so just ‘he whispered’.
Use strong verbs: Weak verbs can make your writing sound flat and lifeless. Use strong verbs to bring your writing to life. For example, sprinted instead of ‘ran fast’.
Don't be afraid to cut: If a sentence or paragraph doesn't move your story forward, cut it – even if you love the writing, even if it’s the most perfect sentence you have ever written. If a character or subplot isn't essential to your story, cut it. If a word or phrase doesn't add anything, cut it. Cut everything to the bone, and it makes for a much better read. I recently converted one of my novels into a play, and it was such an eye opener. I realised how much I didn’t need in order to tell the story, it was really liberating. So, if you have the time, try writing your first chapter as a play, and it will show you which parts of the story are essential once you have to dramatise everything.
Editing isn't about making your writing perfect; it's about making it the best it can be. And sometimes that means being ruthless. So go ahead, write like no one is reading, but when it's time to edit, edit without mercy. Your writing will thank you for it.
