How to Write, Lesson 6: How to Edit Yourself

Whether I’m editing my own work or someone else’s, I like to think of it as a puzzle.

The draft lays out all the pieces. It’s my job to put them together, find the ones that are missing, and complete the full picture.

It’s a responsibility, not a punishment. And yet, so many writers are absolutely crushed by the edits they receive.

I’ve been there. You submit a draft you’ve poured your everything into and you’re so freaking proud of it. You’re both excited and nervous for the feedback, secretly hoping you’ll hear it was your editor’s “favorite” piece they’ve ever read.

And then you see the bloodbath. The red pen strokes slicing straight through entire paragraphs. The thirty-seven questions screaming at you from the margins. “What do you mean here??” “Detail X is missing.” “Not original.” And the worst, which was just “????”

Deep breaths, friends. Edits are meant to help you improve your writing. They are not a personal attack, even if they feel that way.

Questions on and changes to your work are leading you somewhere better. With every second draft you work on, your skills are growing and the piece itself is improving. Trust the process and keep reminding yourself that this is a puzzle you and your editor are solving together.

And right now, as your own editor, you get the first go.

Welcome to Lesson 6 of Fire Edits’ How to Write series: How to edit yourself.

To show you exactly how it’s done, I recorded the above live demo for you to watch. You’ll see all of the edits I made on my piece (a news article) in real time.

I walk you through my thought process step-by-step as the cursor moves throughout the paragraphs, cutting, replacing, rewriting, and combining each line.

Specifically, here’s exactly what I’m looking for when I edit—and you should, too.