The 10 Emotional Stages of Editing Your Own Work

You’ve done it. You’ve finally finished writing whatever it is you’ve started. Maybe it’s a ten page academic paper full of references, or maybe it’s a fantasy novel filled with twists and turns. Either way, you’re done! But wait. You now have to edit.

Editing can be a love-hate relationship. You may think: “This is going to be easy! I’m done with the writing, I just have to go through to make sure there aren’t any blatant typos.” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this isn’t all editing is–or at least it isn’t all that editing should be.

On the other hand, you may be thinking: “I can’t stand to look at this piece of writing any longer. The words are blurring together; the sentences no longer make sense. I would rather submit it riddled with errors than spend one more second reading my own writing.” Again, this isn’t the right attitude either. Editing can be a detailed, meticulous process, but it shouldn’t be painful.

In the vein of battling the love-hate relationship that is editing, let’s go over the ten emotional stages of editing that you may experience throughout this process and how to work through them.

1. Grammar is Great! (But It’s Not Everything)

The first stage of editing is often scouring your work for grammatical errors. When writing a first draft, it can be easy to ignore grammar and focus on the big ideas of your writing. This is okay! Your first draft isn’t meant to be perfect, and it’s okay to leave grammar as an editing afterthought. However, it’s not okay for your editing to be only grammatical.

Yes, we don’t want comma splices. We don’t want incorrect references or misspelled terms. But this shouldn’t be your only focus when editing your work.

Just like your grammar is going to need some assistance, so is your style, usage, and ideas. Think about the arguments that you are making and ask yourself the following: Is this the most efficient way I can convey this idea? Sometimes, we need to get the basis of our thoughts down on the page before understanding how we can most clearly and concisely convey our ideas to a reader.

Don’t be hesitant to change the structure of your sentences or to rephrase an idea even after you think your writing is “finished.” Don’t do your writing the disservice of thinking you couldn’t possibly write something better.

Grammar is important, but it is not everything! So, think of how the style and big ideas of your work could also be improved in the editing process.

2. Attachment to Words: Editing with Rose-Colored Glasses

Congrats! You’ve made it through the alluring grammar haze. You’ve stopped focusing on only your use of semicolons, and you are ready to alter any paragraphs or ideas that aren’t as strong as they should be.

But that is when it hits. The rose colored glasses fall over your eyes, and you start to grow an attachment to the writing you already have.

This could stem from many things, one of which is nostalgia. You put so much time and effort into writing this draft. Blood, sweat, and tears were shed to make this draft (Okay, drama queen). Essentially, you don’t want to undo all of the hard work you’ve already done. This is understandable. I’ve been there myself.

Another reasoning for these rose colored glasses could be laziness. Why would I change this when it sounds fine as it is? I’ve been here too. You start to question whether the time is worth trying to improve your writing.

My response to both of these is: If you put so much hard work into your writing the first time, why would you skip the step to make it even better? Don’t let all of that effort be wasted by not finishing the last stretch of the race. Don’t take a half-baked loaf of bread out of the oven too soon.

Take those rose colored glasses off and see what truly needs improvement.

3. The Total Massacre: Cutthroat Cuts

Now that those rose colored glasses are off, you can see where your writing truly stands. You’ve detached yourself from the words on the page, and you are ready to make some edits. This is the next emotional stage of the editing process: total destruction.

Red slashes bury the black words on the page. Question marks spawn into almost every paragraph. The remnants of your writing look nothing like you once knew them. Like a soldier back from war, your writing will never be the same (Again with the drama-jeez).

This phase of editing is the messiest and most brutal part of the editing process. It is the polar opposite of the sentimentalist phase mentioned above. You have become your own worst critic, and everything you wrote needs to change.

This phase of the editing process can be just as damaging at the attachment phase. Yes, you should be editing your work to make it better, but not everything needs to go! This is not a garage sale, and your writing isn’t a yellow tube top from middle school.

To edit successfully and efficiently, you need to find the balance between your attachment issues and your inner critic. Let yourself acknowledge what works along with what doesn’t.

4. Time & Space (It’s Not You, It’s Me)

You’re trying to find the balance between underediting and overediting. This is good. But you can’t shake the feeling that something just isn’t working in your writing. You know something needs to change, but you’re not sure what it is or how to do it. This is when you pull out some handy clichés from the breakup bag and take a break from your writing.

It’s not you. It’s me. I need some time and space away from you right now. I need to focus on myself. This doesn’t mean it’s over forever.

That is what you need to say to your writing. Be the toxic partner. If you feel stuck in your editing, chances are you should take a break from it. Several days if not weeks is usually helpful, but even if it is just one whole day where you never look at that piece of writing that can work.

Giving yourself a break allows you to return to your writing with fresh eyes. You may see things you never noticed before. A type that was glaringly obvious, but you had missed every previous time. An answer to a plot question you had been stuck on for weeks. Giving yourself time and space away from your writing can be exactly what you need.

5. When the Words Settle

And now, we have the final emotional stage of the editing process: contentment. You have gone through the hard process of editing your piece of writing. You’ve focused on more than just grammar. You’ve detached yourself from your work, and you’ve overcome your inner critic.

This is the stage of the editing process where you should be feeling content. You’ve done all the work to make your writing great, and you can give yourself a proud pat on the back.

It wasn’t simple getting here, but you and your writing are better off for it.