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Don’t edit as you write
“Write drunk, edit sober” — attributed to Hemingway, but he never said this
While there are exceptions to every writing “rule”, and each to his own, generally it is good advice not to edit as you go. This applies to all forms of writing, but more so for the longer form of fiction.
A common newbie mistake is to write a bit, edit it into shape, and then write some more. On the surface, it makes sense, and inexperienced writers have a terrible fear of their work not being perfect. It is normal to make mistakes or deviate from your plans as better ideas come to you. Sometimes the story takes on a life of its own and heads off on an unexpected tangent. The new writer has an insatiable itch to correct this; can’t bear to continue while inconsistencies remain. I have met countless authors who simply cannot break the cycle of write a chapter, edit a chapter.
Leave the editing until the end. Why?
Flow State
Like most endeavors, a talented writer will get into a flow state (the Zone), when the entire brain becomes attuned to the pursuit of words, and paragraphs just leap from your fingers onto the screen. Your mind races ahead, piecing together what comes next. Don’t interrupt it. Change nothing other than a typo, perhaps. If that sentence isn’t perfect…