The Art of Editing (Part One) by Jane Walters

Back in 2013, I wrote my first short story. It only stood at 547 words in its stockinged feet, and, in lieu of imagination, was based on an actual incident. Even so, I was proud of it and would read it out in its first-draft-but-I-didn’t-know-it form to anyone who showed any interest. It took easily two years for me to notice it needed some pretty basic improvements. I suspect my audience could have told me that far sooner.

Starting this month, I’m about to blog here on editing and, specifically, self-editing. So many writers seem to hate editing! For them, the joy is in the hours of creating, and they have very little interest or even passionate resistance to what must happen next. And I say that advisedly: it really must happen next. Editing is not a step in the process you can skip.

However, I happen to love it. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than taking the crude lump of clay that is my document of words and pummelling it into a shape that is not only pleasing to the ear and eye but works better too (and comes in at the right word count…)

In future months, I’ll be tackling some of the basics but today is all about laying the groundwork. I honestly can’t say this enough: all writing needs some re-writing. Even I, as an ardent perfectionist, know that I can’t produce a polished, publishable work at my first sitting. And, actually, it came as quite a relief to that perfectionist side of me that I was allowed to make mistakes. There’s a delete button on our keyboards and an eraser at the end of our pencils for very good reasons!

Please don’t hide behind the excuse that ‘God gave me this, so I’m not doing anything else to it.’ I need God as my Source and Inspiration, too; but although He is perfect, we most certainly are not. Ask yourself if it’s pride or fear talking here. Both need the heave-ho.

Other basic questions to ask are:

·       How does it sound when spoken out loud? Top tip is to always read your work in this way. Don’t rely on what’s in your head: listen to what you’re saying. It helps identify words that are clunky or plain wrong.

·       Is my meaning clear? I know what I intended to say, but have I succeeded? (I had to re-work the first sentence of this blog for just that reason.)

·       Am I too wordy? An example from another writer’s work I am editing at the moment: ‘God gave them the enablement.’ Much more simply, they meant ‘God enabled them.’

·       So far as possible, make your verbs active ones. ‘He kicked the ball into goal’ is far better than ‘the ball was kicked by him into goal’.

Lesson One sounding too simple? That’s because self-editing really isn’t that complicated. Tune in next month for more.

Jane Walters is Chair of ACW and spends the bulk of her time writing and editing.

Her book Bless the Work of our Hands is due to be published by BRF Ministries in February 2026.