Write Well Day 23: Learn to self-edit

and then, eat your cake as a reward

It’s easy to get attached to our first drafts. After all, they represent the beginning of something we’ve put our time and energy into. But first drafts are just that: drafts. They’re the foundation, not the final product. And, as much as we may aim for perfection from the first sentence, the real magic happens in the revision process.

When I wrote Arrival, I had eight drafts. It wasn’t until I started reworking scenes, cutting unnecessary words, and refining my characters, that the story truly began to take shape. The revision process is where you get to polish your raw material into something beautiful and meaningful.

I’m terrible at baking, but this pancake layered cake is so easy to make and delicious, I can reward myself with it every day.

Here are five tips to help you embrace the self-editing process, along with practical actions to make your editing phase as productive and fulfilling as possible.

Writing a first draft is an exhilarating, creative act. You’re filled with excitement as you put words on the page, conjuring worlds, characters, and emotions that come from deep within. But then, you finish. The draft is done. The euphoria of completion quickly fades, replaced with a new, often daunting task: revision.

Self-editing is the part of the writing process that most writers find challenging. It can be hard to confront the flaws in your work after you’ve poured so much time and energy into it. It’s easy to get attached to your words, to fall in love with your ideas, but the truth is, revision is where the magic happens. It’s where you take your raw material and refine it, where you discover what’s really working—and, perhaps more importantly, what isn’t. Embracing the revision process is essential if you want your writing to shine.

My first draft when orking on Arrival, was exciting, full of raw emotion, and messy in the way that first drafts tend to be. But it was in the revision stages where the real depth came to life. It was there that I took time to ask myself what was truly necessary, what needed to be stripped away, and where I could dig deeper into my characters’ psyches. Revision wasn’t about starting over—it was about improving, sharpening, and strengthening my story. It was the act of turning something good into something great.

Here are five tips to help you embrace the revision process and turn your rough draft into a polished work that you can be proud of.