Edit Like a Pro: Three Must-Do Rounds Before You Hit Publish
How to go from messy first draft to publishable piece
Editing your own work is hard. Where do you start? And how do you know when you’re done? I use this ‘three rounds of edits’ strategy to break it down and get the edits done fast.
I originally adapted this from a technique used by Neil Strauss, called the three drafts. Neil talks about doing three drafts of your work, one for yourself, one for your readers, and one for your haters.
I have no problem knocking out a first draft of almost anything, but going from that messy, disorganised, shitty first draft to a publishable piece can seem overwhelming. So here’s my strategy. I don’t let myself get attached to that first draft, at all. I edit, ruthlessly – three times.
The first round of edits is for me. As a writer I’m working out if I’ve actually said what I wanted to say, the way I wanted to say it, with no glaring omissions but also nothing extra that’s not needed (or more likely, belongs in a whole other article).
The second round is for my readers. Will they enjoy this? What will they get out of it? It is clear? Entertaining? Informative? Will they feel inspired to take action? Have I put the readers at the centre of my piece and written the perfect article, essay or chapter for them?
The third round is for my haters. I write for change, which means I often write on controversial topics (things like everyday sexism, racism, or generational poverty) so not everyone likes what I have to say. This is where I put my hater’s hat on and try to make my work “bulletproof”. I look for the objections or arguments my critics might level at me and try to address them in advance.
(The third round of edits is important - but don’t worry if you still get haters all up in your comments section. Many of them won’t have read your piece carefully enough to see that you’ve already addressed their objections, and a few won’t be intelligent enough to understand your arguments anyway.)
Does this system make every piece of writing perfect? Of course not, but it gives me a solid, somewhat measurable process that gets me from the messy first-draft stage to a piece of writing I can consider publishing. Try it – right now if you have time – with the roughest, messiest draft you have available.
Some thoughts from others I’ve been enjoying this week
Five Components of Successful Chapters from
Substack Now Offers A/B Testing! from
The Psychology of No Return: Why We Hate Going Back Even When It’s Faster from
What else I’ve been up to this week
Reading: Write a Must-Read: Craft a Life-Changing Book (one of my current favourite books for writers)
Watching: This Grow Your Substack masterclass, with
andChallenging myself with: A 20 kilometre hike with my son.
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