How To Edit Your Own Writing In 12 Simple Steps

Editing your own writing can feel tricky—and let’s be real, a bit overwhelming too. After spending hours working closely on your text, it’s easy to overlook even obvious mistakes.

But don’t worry—you’re about to learn effective and practical editing techniques to make your writing clear, sharp, and polished. Stick around, and I’ll guide you step by step.

Ready? Let’s jump into the first of 12 helpful steps.

Step 1: Take a Break Before Editing

Editing your own writing can be tough because you’re already familiar with what you wrote, making it easy to miss mistakes. A simple and effective way to make editing easier is to step away for a bit. Seriously, take a break! Whether it’s just a couple of hours or overnight, creating some distance helps you see your writing with fresh eyes.

Why does this help? Because familiarity is your enemy when editing; your brain fills in gaps and overlooks typos because it knows what you meant. Coming back after a pause, your work feels new again, making it way easier to spot mistakes and awkward phrasing.

Here’s a quick tip: schedule your writing to be done earlier than needed so you have built-in time to rest before tackling edits. This isn’t always easy, but trust me—waiting is worth it. Extra time to reflect has helped many writers boost their acceptance rates (one writer had a 25.1% acceptance rate from 288 submissions!), underscoring how crucial editing is in the publishing process.

Step 2: Change the Look of Your Writing

Guess what? Sometimes your brain just needs to see things differently. Switching up the format or appearance of your text is one of the simplest yet most effective tricks you can use when editing your own writing. It nudges your brain into “edit mode,” and makes the content feel unfamiliar, helping mistakes stand out more clearly.

Try changing the font or size, adjusting the line spacing, or even altering the color of your text temporarily. Some people swear by printing their drafts rather than editing digitally because it offers a completely fresh visual perspective. If you’ve always used Google Docs, maybe try editing in Microsoft Word or another tool—shaking up your routine can reveal problems you’ve long overlooked.

I once edited an entire short story after printing it out in a funky, oversized font, and spots for improvement jumped straight from the page. Weird? Sure. But it worked! Simple changes can make a surprising difference.

Step 3: Read Your Writing Out Loud

If you’ve never read your work out loud to yourself, you’re missing out on one of the easiest editing hacks ever. It’s amazing what you notice when you engage your ears. Unnatural sentence structures, repetition, and awkward wording stick out immediately when heard aloud.

Your ears catch things your eyes simply gloss over. Plus, reading your story or article aloud helps you gauge the rhythm and flow, making it easy to identify sentences that are either too long or choppy. If you’re stumbling over words or pausing awkwardly to catch your breath, readers probably will too.

A useful trick is to record yourself reading your text and play it back. Listening to the recording can highlight changes you need—whether it’s tweaking dialogue to make it sound realistic or improving pacing in your paragraphs. Making the habit of reading aloud can significantly refine the clarity and readability of your writing, which is essential for everything from blogs to publishing a book without an agent.

Step 4: Run Your Writing Through Editing Tools

Okay, so now you’ve given your writing a little breathing room, switched up the formatting, and even read it out loud—what’s next? Using editing tools! Editing tools like Grammarly or Hemingway aren’t cheating; they’re your friends helping you catch mistakes you might’ve missed.

When choosing an editing tool, look for one that doesn’t just check basic grammar but also helps tighten up your sentences and spot overly complicated phrases. Grammarly has a pretty solid free version that catches grammar errors and clarity issues, but if you’re not into it, consider exploring some alternative grammar-checking tools that might better suit your needs (and budget).

A tool like Hemingway app is fantastic for simplifying dense, confusing writing. It highlights super long sentences and points out passive voice, helping you keep your writing direct and lively. Don’t completely depend on tools, though; they’re helpful but not foolproof. Always trust your gut and make the final decisions yourself.

Step 5: Create and Follow an Editing Checklist

Want a foolproof way to ensure your writing stays sharp? Create an editing checklist. This is simply a list of key points to verify before hitting publish or sending your submission out. Think of it as a safety net making sure nothing slips through the cracks.

Here’s an example of a helpful editing checklist you can use or adjust:

1. Check for clear main idea and logical organization.
2. Remove repetition and unnecessary words or phrases.
3. Ensure sentence length varies for better rhythm.
4. Eliminate passive voice where possible.
5. Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation carefully!
6. For fiction, confirm consistent point of view and character development.
7. Review dialogue for realistic flow.

A good checklist means you won’t feel overwhelmed editing—you simply go step by step. It’s like having a mental road map keeping you focused and effective. Plus, it encourages consistency, especially handy when you’re writing larger projects.

Step 6: Remove Extra Words and Phrases

Now it’s trimming time! Extra words and phrases weigh down your writing, making it feel bloated and dull. Self-editing aren’t just about fixing mistakes; it’s also about being ruthless and cutting out the unnecessary fluff.

Common phrases like “in order to” or “due to the fact that” can typically be slimmed down to “to” or “because.” Words like “very,” “really,” and “just” rarely add value, so get aggressive about chopping them out too.

Here’s a fun exercise: Challenge yourself to remove 10% of your word count without losing meaning. Seriously, it works! The result is writing that’s clearer, easier to read, and more likely to grab readers’ attention—super important for anyone publishing or trying to boost book sales.

Step 7: Use Strong Action Words

Strong verbs give writing energy—they keep readers awake. Plain and weak verbs like “went,” “did,” or “made” tend to flatten your writing, making it bland. Swap them out with vivid action words instead.

Compare these sentences:

• “He walked angrily out of the room.”
• “He stormed out of the room.”

The second sentence clearly paints a stronger mental image. When revising, underline boring verbs and challenge yourself to find stronger alternatives. Be careful not to overdo it, though—your reader shouldn’t feel like they’re flipping through a thesaurus!

Step 8: Mix Up Your Sentence Lengths

Ever feel like something you wrote reads monotonously, even though the wording itself seems fine? The culprit could be repetitive sentence lengths. Varying long and short sentences adds rhythm and keeps readers reading.

Try reading a paragraph you’ve written and counting sentence lengths. If there’s a noticeable pattern (for example, all sentences around the same length), shuffle things around. Follow a longer descriptive sentence with something punchier or shorter, like: “She paused. Silence filled the room.”

This little adjustment really boosts readability. Readers won’t know why, but they’ll enjoy the flow more.

Step 9: Check the Overall Flow and Logic

Once you’ve found and corrected individual issues, zoom out to look at your writing as a whole. Does it flow logically? Is it easy to follow? Sometimes a paragraph you love doesn’t contribute enough—don’t hesitate to cut or move it somewhere else if needed.

A helpful trick here is summarizing each paragraph in one short sentence. When you read those summaries, is the structure clear and logical? This approach quickly identifies awkward transitions or logical gaps, making your editing much quicker and more efficient.

If you’re writing fiction, logical flow is essential in actions and dialogues too. Events need to follow believable cause-and-effect sequences so readers get pulled into the world you’re building, whether it’s a simple story or a complex dystopian novel.

Step 10: Fix Grammar, Spelling, and Typos

It may sound obvious, but grammar slips and typos give readers a reason to lose trust in your work. Grammarly can catch plenty, but you’ll also need to give your writing your own final check.

A popular tip: edit backward! Start with the last sentence and move your way up. This forces your brain to slow down and truly focus on the individual words rather than skimming because you already know the context.

A typo-free manuscript in traditional publishing houses can give your submission stronger consideration. It’s one of the simplest yet most impactful improvements you can make on your work.

Step 11: Avoid Common Writing Mistakes

We all have unique bad writing habits—mine’s overusing commas, honestly. Becoming aware of your own patterns helps you stop repeating the same mistakes.

Common mistakes include confusing “your” and “you’re,” mixing up “effect” and “affect,” or inconsistent verb tenses. Know your weak spots, write them down if you must, and double-check specifically those when editing your draft yourself.

Practice makes you better at catching these mistakes early, improving your writing significantly over time. Also, consider keeping a list handy of frequent slip-ups as a quick editing reference.

Step 12: Get Feedback from Others

Lastly—and this is crucial—don’t rely completely on self-editing. While editing your own work sharpens your skills, an outsider’s perspective catches issues you might’ve completely missed because you’re too familiar with the content.

Find a trusted friend, critique partner, or beta reader. Ask them specifically: “Does this make sense? Are you confused anywhere? Did you get bored?” Encourage honest, detailed feedback rather than “looks good!” type responses.

Another pair of eyes sees your writing clearly, offering constructive critiques. Some writers dread feedback, but the ones embracing it improve quicker.

Applying feedback wisely helps tighten your writing, boosts readability, and increases your chances of acceptance in competitive environments. Don’t skip this essential step!

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