DIY Editing: Learn your own weaknesses

In my experience, one of the harder tasks in writing is editing yourself.

For the majority of the writing process, we entrench ourselves in the topic -- either gathering enough information to assert ourselves as an expert or searching for the perfect creative inspiration. After all of the perspiration and punctuation, we have to step back and make sure everything is just as it should be.

Considering the adage that "you are your own worst critic," you'd think it would be easier to notice where you could do better. But most often, the things that need help aren't even necessarily wrong. In both the grammatical and developmental senses, many writers fall back on habit: a turn of phrase, organization...I have a well-developed fondness of commas, personally.  How are you supposed to look at your work and decide what changes will take it to the next level?

Well, no one can expect you to do it all alone in the beginning.

Certainly, your ability to self-edit will become invaluable. You will still need to comb your work carefully. But begin by making note of the mistakes you notice most often. Keep a list of them. Once you have done what you can, enlist a peer.

There is a reason that writers are so quick to form communities and working relationships: We need each other. Find a writer -- multiple writers even -- with different backgrounds, styles and perspectives. Find people whose talent you respect. Have them edit your work one more time and show you the changes they made. I am a believer in the tracking changes available on Microsoft Word or the commenting and cataloged document history on Google Docs.

You will probably find a different slew of suggestions, not all of which you have to take. After all, your unique voice as a writer is your product. But you will likely discover new things to work on. Keep that list handy and refer to it when you finish your next piece. Over time, you wont need that list so much anymore; many of these issues tend to resolve themselves once you become aware of them.

Working on your self-editing skill is a tool that pays off quickly with better quality writing. While honing your craft is a life-long process, having someplace to begin is something that most of us can be very grateful for.