Let me be completely honest: I hate editing.

I’m not good at it. I don’t enjoy it. And I spent two years doing it anyway because that’s what writing a book requires.

Here’s the unvarnished truth about editing my own work—what I learned, what worked, and why I absolutely needed help.

My Editing Process (Or: How I Survived It)

After finishing my first draft during NaNoWriMo 2022, I had 50,000 words written in two weeks. By the time I finished the full story, I had 133,000 words.

Then the real work began.

The First Nine Passes

I read through my manuscript and edited as I went. Then I did it again. And again. And again.

Nine times I went through that book, editing each time.

I wasn’t following a specific technique. I just read and fixed what didn’t sound right or look right. Changed words that felt off. Adjusted sentences that were clunky. Tightened dialogue. Clarified descriptions.

It was tedious. It was exhausting. And it was necessary.

The Big Cut

After those nine passes, I finally did what I’d been avoiding: I cut 40,000 words.

That’s almost a third of the manuscript gone. Entire scenes deleted. Subplots removed. Character moments I loved—cut.

Why? Because they didn’t serve the story.

They were fun to write. Some were genuinely good scenes. But they slowed the pacing, distracted from the main plot, or repeated information readers already had.

Cutting 40,000 words hurt. But the book was better for it.

Two More Passes

After the big cut, I edited the manuscript twice more.

These passes focused on smoothing the transitions where I’d cut scenes, making sure the story still flowed, tightening what remained.

Then I finally sent it to my professional editor.

What I Learned About My Writing

Editing your own work teaches you things about yourself as a writer. Not all of them are comfortable.

I Tell Instead of Show

This was my biggest issue.

I’d write: “She was angry” instead of showing her clenched fists and sharp words. I’d tell readers characters were close friends instead of demonstrating their bond through actions.

Every editing pass, I found more telling that needed to become showing.

I Write Scenes That Are Fun But Don’t Serve the Story

I love character moments. Banter. Quiet scenes where characters just talk and bond.

But not every fun scene belongs in the final book.

I had to learn the difference between:

• Scenes I enjoyed writing
• Scenes that actually moved the story forward

Many of those 40,000 cut words were perfectly good scenes that simply didn’t serve the narrative.

That was hard to accept.

The Resources That Saved Me

I didn’t do this alone. I couldn’t have.

The Editing Book

A neighbor gave me a book about editing one day when I mentioned I was working on revisions.

I used that book constantly.

It gave me frameworks for thinking about editing, specific things to look for, techniques for tightening prose. Having a reference guide made the process less overwhelming.

I wish I could tell you editing became fun after reading that book. It didn’t. But it became more manageable.

Beta Readers

I needed beta readers desperately.

When you’ve read your own manuscript 11 times, you can’t see it clearly anymore. You know what you meant to say, so you don’t notice when it’s not actually on the page.

Beta readers caught:

• Confusing sections I thought were clear
• Pacing issues I’d become blind to
• Character moments that didn’t land
• Plot holes I’d accidentally created while cutting scenes

Their feedback was invaluable.

The Professional Editor

After all my self-editing and beta reader feedback, I invested in professional editing for Book 1.

This was essential.

No matter how many times I edited, no matter how helpful beta readers were, I needed someone with professional expertise to catch what I couldn’t see.

The editor found:

• Consistency issues
• Subtle pacing problems
• Missed opportunities for emotional impact
• Technical writing issues I didn’t know how to fix

Professional editing made my book significantly better.

What Made Editing So Hard

Why do I hate editing so much? Let me count the ways:

You Have to Kill Your Darlings

That phrase gets thrown around a lot in writing advice. It’s true and it’s painful.

I had beautiful sentences I loved that didn’t fit. Clever dialogue that distracted from the scene. Character moments that felt perfect but slowed the story.

I had to delete them anyway.

Every time I cut something I loved, it hurt. Even when I knew it was the right choice.

You Can’t See Your Own Work Clearly

After reading your manuscript dozens of times, you stop being able to evaluate it objectively.

Is this scene actually good or am I just attached to it? Is this pacing fine or have I just gotten used to it? Is this clear or do I only understand it because I wrote it?

I genuinely couldn’t tell anymore.

It Feels Never-Ending

With writing, you can see progress. The word count grows. The story takes shape. You’re building something.

With editing, you’re refining something that already exists. Progress feels less tangible. You can edit forever and never feel “done.”

I didn’t know when to stop.

I’m Not Good at It

Some writers love editing. They find it satisfying to polish and refine.

I’m not one of them.

I’m not naturally good at seeing what’s wrong with my own work. I need help identifying problems. I need frameworks and guidance. I need other people’s eyes.

That’s just reality.

Practical Things That Helped

Even though I hate editing and struggle with it, some strategies did help:

Reading Out Loud

When I read my manuscript out loud, I caught things I missed reading silently:

• Awkward sentence structures
• Repetitive word choices
• Dialogue that didn’t sound natural
• Pacing issues

It’s tedious and time-consuming. It also works.

Taking Breaks Between Passes

I couldn’t edit the manuscript nine times in a row. I needed breaks.

After each pass, I’d step away for a week or two. Work on other things. Let the manuscript rest.

Coming back with fresh eyes helped me see problems I’d missed before.

Focusing on Different Things Each Pass

I didn’t try to fix everything at once.

One pass: dialogue Another: descriptions Another: pacing Another: character consistency

Focusing on one aspect at a time made the process less overwhelming.

Accepting I Needed Help

This was the most important realization: I couldn’t do this alone.

I needed the editing book for guidance. I needed beta readers for fresh perspectives. I needed a professional editor for expertise.

There’s no shame in needing help. That’s what those resources exist for.

The Mistakes I Made

Looking back, here are the editing mistakes I wish I’d avoided:

Waiting Too Long to Get Feedback

I edited nine times before showing it to beta readers. I should have gotten feedback earlier.

Why? Because I might have caught major issues sooner and saved myself redundant editing passes.

Being Precious About Scenes

I held onto scenes I loved for too long, even when I suspected they didn’t work.

The result? I had to cut them eventually anyway, but only after wasting time trying to make them fit.

Not Tracking My Changes

I didn’t keep good notes about what I changed and why. This made it harder to evaluate whether changes actually improved things.

Better approach: Document significant changes so you can assess impact.

Trying to Make It Perfect

I edited and re-edited trying to make every sentence perfect.

The truth: Perfect doesn’t exist. At some point, you have to call it done and move forward.

When to Stop Self-Editing

This is the hardest question: when is it good enough to send to a professional or publish?

I didn’t have a clear answer. Eventually I just had to make the decision that I’d done what I could do alone and needed professional help.

Signs it was time:

• I was making changes and then changing them back
• Beta readers weren’t finding major issues anymore
• I couldn’t see the manuscript clearly anymore
• I was editing to edit, not to improve

At that point, continuing to self-edit was procrastination, not progress.

What I’d Tell Other Writers

If you’re facing the editing process:

Accept that it’s hard. Editing is difficult work. Don’t beat yourself up if you struggle with it.

You don’t have to love it. I hate editing. I still did it. Necessary doesn’t mean enjoyable.

Get help. Beta readers, critique partners, professional editors—use whatever resources you can access.

Multiple passes are normal. I edited 11+ times before professional editing. That’s not excessive—that’s realistic.

Cut what doesn’t serve the story. Even if you love it. Especially if you love it but it’s dragging things down.

Learn from resources. Books about editing, YouTube videos, articles—use them. They provide structure when you feel lost.

Know when to stop. At some point, you’ve done what you can do alone. That’s when you need outside help.

Be willing to invest in professional editing. It’s worth it. Your book deserves it. You deserve the support.

The Honest Truth

I still hate editing.

I’m still not good at it.

But I did it anyway because the story mattered more than my discomfort.

I read my manuscript over and over until I was sick of it. I cut 40,000 words that I loved writing. I accepted feedback that was hard to hear. I invested in professional help because I knew I couldn’t do it alone.

Was it fun? No.

Was it necessary? Absolutely.

Am I proud of the final result? Yes.

The book I published is significantly better than the draft I finished. That’s what editing does—it transforms your rough draft into something readers can actually enjoy.

You don’t have to love the process. You just have to do it.

You’re Not Alone

If you’re struggling with editing your own work, you’re not alone.

It’s hard. It’s tedious. It reveals all your writing weaknesses. It requires killing your darlings and accepting that your first draft isn’t as good as you thought.

But it’s also how good books get made.

So get your editing resources. Find your beta readers. Save up for that professional editor. Take breaks when you need them. And keep going even when you hate every minute of it.

Your story is worth the work.

Even if editing feels impossible, even if you’re terrible at it, even if you hate every second—you can do this.

I did. And I hated every minute of it.

But the book that came out of all that editing? That I’m proud of.

That’s what makes it worth it.