Writing | Editing
The Benefits Of Editing
Turning a waffly ramble into something succinct
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[Before I get into this article, I want to say something about it first.
I’m going to write another version of this and link it here once I’ve finished it. The second version will be an edited, ‘polished’ version of this article. So, read with that in mind…how this piece could be improved with editing!
But here is a quick question. What is the difference between editing and re-drafting, and which would this post benefit most from?]
I’ve been inspired lately to get back into a project that I started in 2021 but I put it down after I got burned out.
It’s writing a book.
Now, I say ‘writing’ loosely. It’s not a novel. It’s non-fiction. I would say it’s not a Low Content Book as there are actual pages of actual writing, but it’s not quite a full-on High Content Book either, as most of the pages are photocopiable ‘worksheets’ that you can copy and fill in yourself.
I’d say I created around 150 pages of the ‘worksheets’ last year before I felt like I never wanted to see a printable anything ever again! So, I put it down and forgot about it. All those hours ‘wasted’ creating pages and pages!
Not so! I’m back at it with a vengeance!
I’ve moved things around, merged chapters, and thought about what else to add. I’ve planned what actual writing needs to be written (chapter intros, general introduction, about the author etc.).
But now I’m looking over what I did last year and thinking about whether I was secretly (or perhaps unknowingly is a better word) imbibing some mind-altering substances.
What the heck was I thinking?
For example, I planned to write a chapter about productivity…ah! Hang on! I didn’t explain the book first, did I?
It’s supposed to be a book of printable worksheets about starting a small business or side hustle — the type of printables such as inventory trackers, supplier lists, goal setting, and time management that you could find in a generic printable Etsy shop. But all under one roof…so to speak.
