4 Reasons Authors Shouldn’t Edit While they Write

Originally posted on Creative Writing with the Crimson League:

One thing I think all writers struggle with is the impulse to stop in the middle of writing a draft, chapter, or scene, in order to reread and to edit some portion of the material. This is definitely something I discuss in my writer’s handbook, “Writing for You,” but as I work on preparing second editions of my Herezoth trilogy, I have been doing some heavy editing, and I feel inclined to write about this topic here on the blog.

Now, we will all (to some extent) fix things, change things, correct things, and “edit” while we write a first draft. It is just human nature, and the impulse can be healthy and productive: when kept in check. That is the key.

Here are five reasons it can help you not to stop to edit while you’re composing a first draft.

1. THE IMPULSE TO EDIT IS HARD TO KEEP…

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