Edit As You Write

I never write for extended periods of time. I usually get a few sentences written down, then I have to stop. I think about what I am trying to say and how I should say it. This usually means my train of thought derails every ten feet or so. So to get back on track, I read the last sentence or two I wrote and see where it leads me.

The nice thing about this is that I also edit as I write. Coming back to my sentences and mulling them over not only helps me think of what to write next, it also makes me realize when I screwed up. I catch typos, wrong words, and some sentences that just don't taste good. Before I move on to the next sentence, I fix any problems with the current one.

But I don't just edit, I also revise. Sometimes I write a paragraph, feel bad because I struggled the whole way through it, and then say screw it and trash the whole thing. Sometimes I get halfway through a sentence and realize I want to say it in a different way.

I personally like to edit as I write. It's easy to forget changes I want to make later, so if I know there is a problem to fix now, then there's no time like the present.

Of course, it is just as easy to favor not editing while you write. Editing is its own step, so as long as your editing skills are up to snuff, you ought to catch everything you need. As long as you have ideas coming, you might as well keep writing them down. There's no time like the present.

Unsurprisingly, this is not a rule; just a technique. Some people like to always edit and some people save it for later. Try them both out and do what feels best (or whatever produces the best results).