Think Like a Professional Editor
And Ditch that Nagging Perfectionist
Is it good enough?
That’s the baffling conundrum we all come up against when we sit down in front of a draft. A professional editor always has the readers in mind, asking, “How can we make this a better experience for them?”
The inner critic is focused on the writer; she’s worried and self-conscious. Developing your editing skills can fend off that inner critic by taking your attention away from yourself and onto the communication at hand.
Here are key traits to focus on as an editor:
1. Bold, unique statements that catch attention.
2. Clarity. Why are we reading? In fiction, where and when are essential too.
3. Fear and desire. What grips the reader’s emotions?
The beauty of saving the editing process for after the messy draft is that it gives you the freedom to be too crazy, too sentimental, too dramatic, too bitchy, too abstract, or too metaphorical in the first draft. Sometimes your best editor is yourself two weeks later.
I love my inner editor. She makes cuts and moves things around in an extremely productive way. I’m no longer drowning in a miasma of words. My inner critic, on the other hand, contributes to the miasma. She doesn’t know what she wants; she just knows this isn’t good enough and probably never will be.
On the other hand, so much of perfectionism is about self-preservation. The curse of perfectionism is that it robs you of creativity, adventure, and connection. It keeps you trapped inside your comfort zone and stops you from taking risks. You’re hemmed in by the limits of what you can already execute flawlessly. There’s no room to test or explore.
Given all of the opportunities available in self-publishing, there’s never been a bigger detriment to success than perfectionism. The authors who are succeeding are able to put themselves out there, experiment, and learn from experience.
By avoiding risk, we stay safe, and by getting things exactly right, we avoid pain. Some creative risks will move us into unpredictable territory, but they preserve the part of your voice that can’t be manufactured. In the age of AI, that’s pure gold.
