How do you know when to stop editing?

It is the question that plagues all authors – independent publishers, people who have gone the traditional route and people who just write for fun alike. How do you know when to stop editing?

I think one of the reasons this question is so hard to answer is because we always think there’s something more we could do to make our work better. It doesn’t matter how good it already is, or how much editing we have already done – we still want to believe we could do more. But there obviously comes a time when we have to say enough is enough, if for no other reason than our own sanity.

Before it’s time to stop editing, you will no doubt go through several versions of what you have written. There’ll be the first draft, which you’re just thrilled to have finished. There’ll be the slightly painful process of editing that first draft, cutting massive chunks, moving things around and just generally trying to make sure your story is coherent.

Then there’s the process of refining everything, making sure that the story isn’t just coherent but also compelling and gripping all the way through. There’s polishing everything up, making sure you’ve chosen just the right word for every situation. There’s proofreading for grammar and spelling. You might give your work to other people to read, after which another round of editing might occur.

You could edit forever if you wanted to. I think one of the keys to knowing when to stop is to give yourself some distance. For instance, once you’ve gone through the editing process, have reviewed everything and done your final check for typos, put the novel to bed for a bit. Being so close to your project can make it hard to see it clearly. Give it some time.

Then, when you pick it up again a few days/weeks/months later (according to how you like to work and how much time you need to recover to get over the long hours of staring at the computer screen), if it still reads as well as you were hoping, it’s probably time to declare the project done. Unless there are any glaring errors or major clangers when you re-read your final draft, it’s likely to be a good idea to give yourself a pat on the back and not edit anymore. Alternatively, you could get someone who hasn’t yet read it to give it a read to see if they spot anything that needs to be changed.

Hopefully you’ll be satisfied when you declare the project done. Naturally, there are no guarantees, but the pride of having a finished novel is pretty good. It’s something you can be proud of. And there are new stories to tell – don’t forget that. Putting one story to bed after spending so long with it can be difficult, but keep reminding yourself of all the new things to come, and with any luck, you’ll be pleased with what you’ve managed to achieve.

When it comes to editing, how do you decide when enough is enough?