The Value to the Writer and the Reader in Just One More Edit

by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28
I didn’t want to upload it one more time. After nine scroll-through’s and uploads of my e-book to Kindle’s publishing platform, I didn’t want to fix my book again. Couldn’t it just be done? Couldn’t I get away with not fixing that spacing that I had somehow missed?
I knew the answer was no. And for good reason—to make my book the best it could be. Every hour I had spent formatting paragraphs and endnotes, every minute I had carefully scrolled through the whole book, every second of patience was worth the end result. 
When you write, you know you’re going to have to edit. Oh, it would be nice for a paragraph to pop out right the first time! Sometimes they do. But more often than not, some wording will need to be tweaked, some sparkle will need to be added, and some principle will need to be refined. Editing is a guaranteed part of writing, and instead of a dread, it can be a relief. 
A relief? How? 
In our first draft, we can write from the heart based on the study we did of Scripture. In the second draft (and maybe the third and fourth and fifth), we can refine our main point and how we’ve developed it, and add more stories, explanations, and application. 
Then we edit. We catch any typos and mistakes we’ve made. We streamline wordy sentences and make two paragraphs out of a chunky one. We shift gears—to see our writing from the reader’s viewpoint, not just the writer’s. We make our writing better and better, so it more fully expresses the message God has given us, and it can make just the right impact on readers’ hearts.
And … we catch those formatting mistakes that we missed the first eight times we scrolled through the file. Maybe you won’t have to scroll through your file nine times like I did, but even after the tenth time, it would have been worth it to scroll once more. The time we invest in polishing our writing is time invested in the hearts and minds of those who will read our work. 
So don’t give up, dear writer-turned-editor. Every minute of editing is precious and a long-term investment in the ministry God has given you. If you have to, scroll through that file one more time. 
What strategies do you use to put yourself in your reader’s shoes, so you can see your writing objectively? Join the conversation!
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Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of LIGHTHOUSE BIBLE STUDIES. She loves connecting with writers and working alongside them in compilations, such as Feed Your Soul with the Word of God, Collection 1 which is a 2020 Selah Awards finalist. She also enjoys encouraging writers and giving writing tips in her monthly writers’ newsletter called THE LIGHTHOUSE CONNECTION.
In addition to online magazines, Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.COM, thoughts-about-God.com, and three blogs on writing. She loves to spend time with family and friends, create art and make crafts with her group MY ARTSY TRIBE, and tend the garden in the morning sun. She makes her home in a cozy suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. Connect with her on FACEBOOK and TWITTER.