The Writer’s Brain vs. The Editor’s Brain: An Inner Tug-of-War

Squinting at the white light echoing off the blank page, you sit at your desk, fingers hovering above the keyboard. Ideas surge through you, ready to take form on the page. You go to write your first sentence, but then… it appears. Clad in red ink, a figure stands dauntingly before you. Rigid as a ruler, smelling like fresh copies out of the printer, it looms. The Editor.

“That’s really how you want to write that? Think about all the ways it could be better… Might as well get it right the first time!”

The birds go quiet, wind rustling through the trees. The writer retreats, and war has begun.

As a writer, you have two different sides or “consciousnesses.” On one side, you are a dreamy writer, one who wishes to explore new territories of thought. One who thrives on creativity and wants to construct whole new universes of life. On the other side, you are an editor, thriving on commas, concision, and clarity. You crave perfection; if writing isn’t perfect, why read it at all?

Now, this can be a real Mr. Jeckyll and Dr. Hyde situation, if you know what I mean. Understanding when you are using the writer's brain and the editor’s brain is not an easy task, but being aware of what they are is a good starting point.

Creative vs. Critical Thinking:

I like to think of the dichotomy between your writer’s brain and your editor’s brain like scientists think of the right and left brain. It is a widely circulated theory that the left side of your brain is associated with logic and critical thinking, while the right side of your brain is associated with creativity and intuition. Sounds kind of like the writer and editor in you, right?

While it’s unlikely that people actually think with one side of their brain more than the other, the concept is still applicable when thinking about the balance between writing and editing. The writer in you likely aligns with the right side of your brain. You use creative thinking to come up with ideas, and you rely on your intuition to lead the story where it needs to go. Contrastingly, the editor in you likely aligns with the left sign of your brain. When editing, you are detail oriented, focusing on critical thinking to fix any errors in your writing.

A key takeaway from this comparison is that you cannot use only one side of your brain. It doesn’t work. The hemispheres work together, and you need both to survive. This is the same way you can think of your writing and editing brains.

You need the writing brain to fuel your creative drive, and you need the editing brain to help fine-tune this creativity into an impactful, clear piece of writing. Now, it is just up to you to find the balance between these two brains.

The Inner Conflict:

Knowing which brain to rely on and when to use it is an important part of the writing and editing process. Both brains are equally important, but trying to use both at the same time can make your initial writing process tricky. Like the example of the “The Editor” from above, trying to implement too much of your editing brain too early on can create problems.

When you first begin the writing process, over-editing can significantly slow you down. If you reread each sentence twenty times trying to get it perfect, you may forget where you were even trying to go with the idea. Every writer has the experience of getting stuck on a sentence or idea, and the answer just is not coming to you. This is the time to quiet that editing brain and lean into your creative juices. If the answer is not coming to you just yet, move on and explore another idea. Get your thoughts down on the paper, rather than focusing on whether those thoughts are perfect or not yet.

When I say quiet that editing brain, though, I don’t mean turn it off completely. It should be on do not disturb, not shut down in the corner underneath a pillow. If you only write to get words down on the paper and without thinking about clarity, you may find a mess of ideas on the page that you don’t know what to do with, a heap of chaos that even the sharpest editing brain couldn’t fix. This is where balance comes into play.

Tools & Techniques:

It is not an exact science, but there are many helpful tools and techniques to assist writers in balancing their writing and editing brains.

One of my favorite tools for balancing writing and editing is timed freewriting. This is where you set a thirty minute timer, or whatever time works best for you, and you just write. This is where you focus on your writing brain and getting all those creative ideas onto the paper. The nice thing about timed writing is that once the thirty minutes is up, then it is the designated time for editing. This technique can be helpful because it allows you to separate the two brains without prioritizing one over the other.

You can write for thirty minutes, edit the material that you have, and then write for another thirty minutes. This technique helps you focus on the writing brain, while also editing while you go in between each thirty minute increment.

Another tool I think helps aid in balancing the writing and editing brains is creating a clear outline for your writing. An outline helps with facets of the editing brain, like organization and clarity. Once this outline is created, you can focus on the writing brain and developing your ideas within the framework you have already made.

Having an outline will not only help your writing stay organized, it will also allow you to write without wondering if you have strayed from the purpose of your piece of writing.

Finally, the last tip for balancing your writing and editing brains is externalizing the editor role. I realize that this may not be an option for everyone, but if it is applicable to you, I highly recommend finding an external editor. While you obviously will want to edit your work yourself as well, it can be very helpful to have a fresh set of eyes editing your writing. An outside editor may bring a perspective to your writing you never would have thought of.

If you have the ability to, I recommend working with a professional editor who has the skillset to assist in areas you may lack. If you don’t have access to a professional editor, even having a friend or colleague edit your work could be helpful (if they are willing, of course).

Editing your own work is important, but so is collaboration! Having an external editor may be what you need to see your writing in a whole new light.

Harmony:

Next time you sit down to write, consider what brain you may be using. Think about your own writing and editing process and how you might be better served by focusing on one brain at a specific time.

Though sometimes it feels like your writer’s brain and your editor’s brain are in a battle with one another, remember that they should actually be working symbiotically to help one another. Ultimately, both brains have the same end goal as you: to create the best writing possible.