Writers struggle with editing their own work

“I'm writing my first book ; below is an excerpt . Thisa second draft so... yeah. I'm a horrible writer, that I know. I'm trying to suck less at it. For what I'm expecting eyes on is a few creative liberties I'm insisting on keeping, Although idk if I'm jumping from scenes weirdly somebody told me I tend to do it often just to do the "meanwhile" moments as they appear in comics where building the tension of showing the precedings to the intersection of multiple c”

“One thing that holds me back, actually the most significant thing that holds me back, from writing is that I have so many ideas and I wanna just write them all day like I do when I’m free writing. I want to publish on Substack my pieces of writing, even if they are not structured in any formal way nor edited. That will keep me writing. I can always go back and edit later. The point is I just have to write and the content of the writing will be there and the purpose of the writing is to help anyo”

“I recently just finished my first rough draft of my book. Yay me! But as I'm starting the 2nd rough draft does anyone have any advice or recommendations? Specifically, when it comes to editing or focus. I'm a completely novice writer and this is my first time doing a project this big. Any help is much appreciated. submitted by /u/Rcartsen0328 [link] [comments]”

“Hey all, a few months back, I wrote my first ever book. An illustrated fiction that i wrote and illustrated myself. One thing I realized is that I had things all over the place. Notes, sketches, chapter drafts, google docs, etc. I still went all the way to finalizing the book but it made me realize there might not be anything good for writers in terms of "the one place". I gave a try to Ulysses, Reedly and others but they were either too bloated, uninspiring or didn't quite offer w”

“Without meaning to I've written a 250k word monstrosity , and though I adore many aspects of it, and it represents the fruition of many of my long-developed ideas, it feels unsellably long, certainly in conjunction with it being quite out there, surrealistic, very dark, speculative, and maximalist. The thing is, while I'm sure there are things i could further trim on a 4th pass, the idea of cutting it down substantially is both horrifying and seemingly impossible, seeing as, in my view,”

“I have my own instincts, and while my so-called alpha draft is more sprawling it has a lot of notes and jokes I like. However, i have new drafts that are more concise in dialogue but lose out in detail. How do you decide which draft to keep as your main? I think I’m just gonna move onto a new script soon it’s too stressful. submitted by /u/RogueKnight77 [link] [comments]”

““95% of what I write is crap, The rest is my soul” . Hate to break it to little me but sadly, this is still true 15 years later 😂 I am very much of the “write freely + edit brutally” school of thought so this poem from my youth really made me chuckle. I’m curious if others relate to the sentiment in my little poem? And if so, what would you say your ratio is? 🤭 submitted by /u/refuge4insomniac [link] [comments]”

“Hey y’all, Long time lurker, first time poster. I’m curious to hear any advice from my fellow writers regarding what belongs in a given book. How do you determine what stays and what goes? Is it strictly pacing? Or is it about the scope of your work? Sure, some stuff is easy to spot—Scenes that slow the momentum down to a crawl, or contribute absolutely nothing to characterization, plot, pr worldbuilding. But I’m a little tired of YouTube advice influencers urging others against committing thems”

“I'm approaching the end of draft 1, which means it's time for a complete dev edit before I find an editor and start querying. Just wanted to know some best practices for a dev edit according to you and what works best in your process. Things like, how do you make your book more readable and what do you leave out from draft 1, etc? I mostly write in the thriller/mystery/horror genre. submitted by /u/cuntyvigilante [link] [comments]”

“It’s pretty hard to get feedback for a chapter in the middle of your book, so I was wondering if anyone would like to exchange feedback for the first 10k words of each others books? Here’s some info: - I’m a pretty good reviewer. I’ll go through your work thoroughly and tell you about it from the perspective of a reader rather than another writer. - I’m open to any genre except for ones with heavy descriptions of intercourse. My book contains cursing. - My book is a superhero novel and I’ll be s”

“The title says it all. And what's more fun I get to release is tomorrow night as the newest chapter of my web novel. Instant gratification and feedback. Note: if it sucks my readers will tell me 😁 Cheers submitted by /u/Original_Pen9917 [link] [comments]”

“Finished my second draft of my book and I STILL am having the hardest time getting my word count down without feeling like I’m killing off half of my book. Any suggestions for editing?! submitted by /u/MainConfident8955 [link] [comments]”

“I'm writing a sci-fi/fantasy story right now, and I've reached a point where I genuinely hate what I've written so much that I'm considering dropping the entire story. The funny thing is, I don't think I hate the story because I think it's bad. I think I hate it because I've become too attached to the characters. For some context: The MC and FMC meet in Chapter 1 and travel together from there. In Chapter 10, the MC nearly dies while saving the FMC. That's when sh”

“Years ago, I wasn’t like this but recently after my previous post in the subreddit, I decided I should give it a go at remaking one of my old stories because I thought I could do so much better but… Everything I write is so… dry, so bland… (the image is for example of what I’ve written) it’s like a five year old wrote this and I genuinely thought I got better but trying again I’m just reminded I’m not a good writer nor can ever be one. submitted by /u/TheSkullio [link] [comment”

“I keep trying to cut it down, but every time I do, I compare it to the 900 word version and see how much voice, flow, and details I’ve lost. It’s sooo tough! I know people say to “kill your darlings”, but I genuinely think this is the best thing I have ever written in my life. Suggestions for cutting it down? I’m not sure I’m cutting it in the right way. submitted by /u/Rude_Procedure1661 [link] [comments]”

“More people think more words=better, but sometimes the more words you write are an over explanatory extension of what you’ve already said. The more you explain it, the less impactful it is. I cut down 30% of my first chapter and it’s so much better for it! submitted by /u/justalostgirlidk [link] [comments]”

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“I started writing novels only recently and I'm so inexperienced in it so when I wrote my first two novels I totally screwed it up and managed to finish a short story and left the first novel in the middle cause I ran out of my brain power to write it and now I'm writing a third novel and this time I actually wrote nearly 100,000 words but I get kind of mad at my own grammar and story telling method in it that I want to throw it away because I don't feel like I can improve it even aft”

“I have been doing line editing all weekend. Not something I enjoy. The best parallel I have is from teaching. I was a teacher for more than 20 years. The teaching part was great. Getting to see that occasional "aha" moment was the best part. Grading tests sucked. This describes editing for me. Also, i was tempted, just now, to leave in an error for comedic effect. When I write something, a lot of times I don't like it. Later, when I come back, mostly I do. Every now and then, it&#3”

“Okay so I thought about it and I also did try to remove the prologue which didn't work well my writer friend told me to just write it differently... so I tried that hows it now? submitted by /u/Dull_Ad_2091 [link] [comments]”

“I just finished the first draft of my novel and I'm currently self editing, but I often find myself getting distracted or zoning out. If anyone has any tips so I stay on task, or even find the editing as fun as the writing portion was, that would be great. Thank you! submitted by /u/Tortured_Author1 [link] [comments]”

“I had a goal to edit my first 10 chapters by the end of the month. I just edited the last sentence of chapter 10 with a few days to spare. Now to get to chapter 15 by Halloween 🎃👻 submitted by /u/ktymicks [link] [comments]”

“I'm usually more of a proofreading for errors kind of person, so I'm not sure how I'm going to get myself into editing brain. I know I'm supremely early into the process, but I do wonder how many drafts you folks usually go through. Do you prefer to go through one edit yourself and then ask betas? Two? I fear I may either be too harsh on myself or be totally blind to what works/what doesn't. Or likely a mix of the two. How about you folks? submitted by /u/dragonzb”

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“I wrote a fan fiction, i didn't think too much of it, got over 100+ chapters, i think it was okay, but im trying to write something serious, and i can't for the love of god progress, it's like im this very self aware of what im writing, and im thinking that this thing is so cringy and i can't take it seriously no matter what i do, like when you do characters self talk, i know its normal even in real life, but applying it in fiction feels like the character has issues instead, the”

“I am working on editing one of my stories I wrote a while ago. The issue I am coming across is I am rereading my work and kind of cringing. I took a break in hopes that the feeling would go away when it comes to rereading it with fresh eyes. That's said, I returned and its still making me embarrassed. Granted it started as a a piece written specifically for me. I'm returning to try and make it into something more shareable and concise. For my fellow writers, do you experience embarrassme”

“I want to hear from the Novella writers in here. What has your experience been with publishing smaller works? My current manuscript is going through edits and I find myself at a point where it could end up either way. I plan to just let the word count land where it does, but curious about how agents treat the two. submitted by /u/Thick-Assumption3400 [link] [comments]”

“I wrote a book, took me years due to some health issues half way through, anyway i completed it and then went through the first 3 chapters and edited/ checked everything and then sent it away to literary agents, i know i shouldn't before its completed! got nothing back after months, kept thinking "i will check the rest of the book done at some point" not heard anything back from any agents so now lost the motivation to go through it all. will probably just publish through KDP but s”

“I've been thinking about this lately because I see authors get really good at fixing the obvious things grammar, spelling, awkward sentences but the bigger story problems can be much harder to spot when you've been staring at the same manuscript for months. Sometimes it's pacing. Sometimes a character isn't coming across the way you intended. Sometimes a scene feels important to you, but on the page it isn't doing as much as you thought it was. And honestly, I think that'”

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“This is curtailing my ability to write. I'm already thinking 'this scene should be x y z' and I need that to stop! That's editing talk, and of course I'll be harder on myself when I've just started! Things haven't been established yet! How do you kill this voice, or at least tell it to hold off until the story is done? I used to be able to throw words onto a page, but now it's slowed to a crawl. Progress is progress, and I just broke 2k, but it sucks, because I di”

“I keep doing that thing where you read over something too many times and now it sucks. But I miss it when it didn't suck, how do you get back to that? How long do I have to wait before I look at it again and like it again? How do I clear my brain so that it's like I'm reading it for the first time again? Is it even possible to do that? Advice needed please. submitted by /u/Where_Y0u_Been_L0ca [link] [comments]”

“I haven't done this yet but I'm thinking about it, so I'm curious to hear others' opinions on this strategy. Usually, writers would finish their entire draft of their book first and then start editing it but I'm thinking of doing it a different way. So, I ask, is it a good idea to complete a set amount of chapters (let's say 10) and then take some time with editing those specific chapters until it is up to par with your liking. Then move onto the next 10 and then rinse an”

“Listen it may have mistakes and problems but I don't know how to fix them and because I literally need to use the Wikipedia and grammar book the fix my grammar because I biggest weakness is my native isn't language English. As a writer it is very frustrating for me to write with such incredible brain which doesn't even understand a little bit of English. Oh sorry I also don't know how to use Google docs properly. submitted by /u/Scythe-ark [link] [comments]”

“When I'm writing something, I tend to think about it all the time, as I'm sure most people do. Of course I always am thinking of what I have already written and how it can be improved. Example from my current new work is two people travelling on a main road by wagon from one city to another. At no point in my first chapter did I mention them passing another wagon, another person, or seeing any signs of human life. This makes no sense for my story. They would 100% have passed many other t”

“I wrote a paragraph today. First draft. It was rough, but there was something there — a rhythm, an image, a feeling. Then I edited it. Seventeen times. By the time I was done, it was clean. Precise. Every word earned its place. And completely dead. I'd sanded off every edge, smoothed every rough corner, and in the process removed the only thing that made it worth reading. I know editing is supposed to improve things. I know first drafts are supposed to be messy. But I'm starting to wonde”

“I don't know what else to do. I just saw someone say that they write REALLY slowly (caught up with just a sentence for days), but for me, I write way too fast, and when I read it from the top, it's just frustratingly bad. I have never learned how to edit my own novels. I've tried reading other people's novels to learn how to write well, but it always ends up really, really bad. I've tried looking up Youtube videos on how to do creative writing. I've seen my other online f”

“https://preview.redd.it/eh4n0eqq1qph1.png?width=800&format=png&auto=webp&s=47dfe07b950b30a11eba1e188339646b7cc0b27e Hey y'all. Let's make sure we proofread our stuff, OK? The book hasn't even started yet. Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe submitted by /u/tertiary_jello [link] [comments]”

“Writers, I need y'all's brains for a second here. How do you stop yourself from overwriting? Like, overexplaining something, or realizing you've already made your point and thinking, “Should I delete this whole paragraph, Michelle? 🤡” I feel like this is a big problem for me, especially during editing. I know I sometimes explain things the reader probably already understood, but actually figuring out when I've crossed that line is so hard. Especially since I've written the w”

“Seven years. Same book. I've rewritten the opening chapter fourteen times. I've changed the protagonist's name three times, her job twice, her entire personality once. I've built the world from scratch twice. I have 200 pages of notes and 40 pages of actual manuscript. Every November I tell myself this is the year. Every December I quietly stop. And the worst part isn't the not finishing. It's that I'm starting to think I don't actually want to finish. Because as”

“Hey, so this is my very first post here, just looking for some advice for editing tools.I have dyslexia pretty bad, I love writing, but it's really hard for me a lot of the time when I write.It's just one big sentence.\nSo I'm just looking for some tools to help me with my editing and grammar and punctuation.I sorry I don't sound like the most professional writer , but i'm trying submitted by /u/New_Worldliness_7482 [link] [comments]”

“How do I know what's wrong? Yes, I know it's mostly practice, but how do I notice what's wrong with my writing without someone telling me what's wrong and how to fix it? I made the mistake for a reason, cause I didn't know better, I might feel there's something wrong with my writing, but I don't actually know what's wrong if that makes any sense, although, if I think about it, when I started drawing I also didn't know, my drawings just looked ugly, but the dif”

“So i published this book a while back and have continuously edited it. But apparently to others, it isn't enough. To ME, it looks fine. I even installed reading our-loud extension to proof-read. But still, it isn't enough. I need/want to find a professional editor but there too expensive. My budget is low, as expected as a broke college student. Get any advice> submitted by /u/Cultural-Reaction457 [link] [comments]”

“You have the bones of your story. It sucks. Many mistakes. Where do you start? Do you start with content? Story depth? Character building? Structure? Sentence editing? What do you do after you have first draft? submitted by /u/Known-Cold-2813 [link] [comments]”

“So, what happened is, after publishing my first 7 chapters, I got some criticism that I was explaining things way too much, which apparently took away from the fun of letting the reader figure out the characters, emotions, moments, etc. for themselves. So, in the next 8 chapters, from Chapter 8 to Chapter 15, I really tried to work on that aspect and improve my writing in that regard. So if you guys don’t mind, I’d really appreciate it if you could give my novel a read and share any thoughts, op”

“Okay, I know many of us are probably self aware about the pros and cons of our prose. Both because of feedback but also because of the fact that we've just been writing for quite a while. I'd love to hear from y'all, what are your biggest strengths and curses? To me, my pros: Atmosphere Trusting my reader Dialogue Very specific voice My cons: Trusting my reader (but too much) Dialogue (but too much) Sometimes I might favour simplicity too much and just not describe something enough b”

“Okay. Random question. I once wrote an entire book, wrote the second one totaling around 400,000 words only to completely trash it because the writing felt off and clunky even tho I always thought third person was the best way to write. Well, I decided to figure out a new book because I was bored and wanted something to do in between classes. I'm realizing it feels sort of refreshing writing in first person. Is that a good thing or does this just mean I'm still an amateur. Like i always”

“I find it taxing to edit while I’m writing. I’d love to know what’s considered a good time to self-edit and what practices work well. submitted by /u/Both-Worry-1242 [link] [comments]”

“Basically the title. I’m on round 3 and I feel like like I won’t be done after 🥲 submitted by /u/Tasty_Ability_1524 [link] [comments]”

“I might need to rewrite a big chunk of my first book. Here I thought I was done with it but it turns out there's a lot to be fixed in the first few chapters without which there's no chance of an agent even looking at the manuscript. Wish me luck😭 submitted by /u/embervanefiction [link] [comments]”

“Mine wasn't too bad fortunately, just a couple of pages. I misremembered where exactly a mountain range ran and it completely messed up the logic of where my characters where going and why. submitted by /u/Dizzy-Initiative-985 [link] [comments]”

“I wholly empathize with the posts. Recently my writing process has become much longer as asking for LLM polish leads to spending more time rewriting to clean up the LLM smell, so I'm unsure of what the future LLM-as-editor will be.The big problem with the linked poll by Cynthia Dunlop is that it's all self-reported. The fact that the sample is not representative of the general population rather but might be closer of 'early adopter'/'power users' is interesting. But the idea that "I prefer au”

“I’ve drafted a few books! But had to throw away the middle and end during editing because my solutions to the messy middle was to derail the story with unnecessary filler. How do you get through the messy middle in the first draft so the story still stays on track? submitted by /u/JesseWeird [link] [comments]”

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“Every time I try to line edit my book I end up finding something more I want to add, a new angle, a bread crumb that i need drop that will pay off later. An extra bit texture to world building or depth to a character. Having the discipline to not do that is what I am struggling with. Trusting the reader to connect the dots and pick up what I am laying down. Are all these little changes part of the process i believe its getting more refined but its losing some of that raw punchyness the balancing”

“My developmental editor has my fourth book in this series right now, and she sent me a message today, asking why I had such a weird habit of using fruit to describe violent actions. I told her I had no idea what she was talking about, and she sent me EIGHT EXAMPLES from my last three books of me describing unspeakable violence sounding like someone stomping on a melon or an apple or a overly ripe kumquat. I don't know if this is an editing issue or a therapy one, but does anyone else have ex”

“I finally feel satisfied with my first chapter. I edited it a lot, but it’s finally done. Onwards and upwards ! submitted by /u/spirituallyrice [link] [comments]”

“I’m curious what others’ self-editing process looks like. Do you have a systematic, focused series of edits? Or do you work through your story willy nilly until it feels right? Mine is this: 1) read first for story coherency and feels. Make sure it works. Note sentences, paragraphs, and chapters that feel wrong or are confusing. Small changes made here and there, but big changes reserved for next round. 2) work each chapter and follow the notes. Rewrite anything needing improvement. Reread every”

“On the recommendation of an author I spoke with who I respect, I recently got Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. I'm in my late 30s and have been a reader for a long time, but have only recently made my first attempts to write. And so I honestly reacted to this more as a reader than as an aspiring writer. I found the first four chapters really helpful. They ask a lot of big-picture questions that help you consider more possibilities and weigh pros and cons. But c”