Write A Better Post: Separate Your Inner Writer And Editor

Are you tired of spending longer on writing a post than you plan? There is a reason why this happens, and it can be prevented. 

I want you to imagine the instance when you were writing and were fully absorbed in the article, blog, or story. Then suddenly, you reread a previous sentence, and your fingers stopped typing. You decided to fix the last sentence and make it better. 

Do you remember what happened next? Let me take a wild guess. You spent the next 30 minutes altering the previously written content. Am I right? I am pretty sure you nodded your head.

So, when your focus shifts from writing to editing, it makes you waste the time you had planned for writing. Do you know who the culprit for all this is? The editor inside you.

The “go back and check your work” voice must have haunted you ever since you started writing. It bugs every writer. The inner editor of a writer is what usually stands between you and the finished post. 

How to Silence Your Inner Editor

When you start writing, that’s the time to turn your inner editor off if you want to write a better post. Making progress as a writer requires the willpower to keep writing even if the previous paragraphs seem far from perfect to you. 

Let’s take a look at 5 ways to restrain the editor in you while you play the role of the writer.

1. Change your writing mindset 

First and foremost, you should have a clear idea in your mind about the first draft of your work. Is it a foundation of the write-up or the final version? 

The problem with many writers is that they don’t realize that the first draft is a steppingstone towards the finished write-up, so it doesn’t have to be perfect, and neither it can be. 

Whenever you are about to start writing, remind yourself that the first draft is:

• Your raw idea on paper or screen
• A space to experiment with new ideas
• A field free from grammar

Allow your first draft to have flaws because your article, blog, or story must have room for improvement. This will help you to write a better post.

2. Start in a new document

Can you cut your inner editor off unemotionally? Lol. This method may sound cold for your inner editor, but it might be necessary to write a better post. 

I mean, whenever you are writing, and your inner editor keeps pushing you in your head to check the last paragraph, you know what you should do? Save that document and start a new one.

Continue writing in the new document, so your inner editor doesn’t have anything to bug you about for at least some time. 

This method requires self-control but is worth it because of its high-level of effectiveness.

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3. Dedicate special editing time

You might be thinking that how can you get editing time, especially if you enjoy polishing your writing, and cannot wait for the first draft to be over? I have the right solution for you that won’t clash with your aim to write a better post. 

Try scheduling your time. Dedicate some time to editing, maybe as much as writing. So, for example, on Monday you wrote for an hour, you should take an hour later on the same day or next to edit it. 

This is the method that will keep your writer unbothered and your inner editor satisfied. 

4. Use placeholders

The sooner you become comfortable with using placeholders, the better. Sometimes during writing, you may come across a character name, place name, or any other thing that you won’t know how to write.

Instead of sitting dumbfounded, using up your time trying to make progress but failing, it is better to use a placeholder, and continue. You can take care of these in the second draft. 

If you are clueless about a whole section or paragraph, just write a few bullet points of the idea in your mind. Leave it to that. The second draft will give you plenty of time to work on it and to write a better post overall.

5. Challenge yourself

Put pressure on your writer-self to silence your inner editor. Give yourself a challenge. A few options are:

• Allocate writing time and a goal e.g. 500 words in 45 minutes.
• Test how many words you can write in 10 minutes. Use the result to push yourself to keep it up.
• Assign yourself a task of writing a certain number of words in one day. If you are successful, treat yourself, be it with Netflix time or editing time. That’s your call, lol.

When to Embrace Your Inner Editor

As much as we have made the inner editor sound like a demon, it is not. I mean yeah, it can be a real annoyance during the first draft. However, when you open your second draft, the writer in you will take a back seat and your inner editor will take center stage. 

The latter will then turn your raw write-up into a smoothly polished final version that will impress anyone who reads it. It is important to know when to let your inner editor shine if you want to write a better post.

Summary

The key to writing a better post is to be careful as inner editors are greedy and can easily take up your writing time even if you allow dedicated editing time. However, don’t kill the editor in you as, without it, you will never have a finished version of your write up.  

Try these measures to temporarily silence your inner editor, so it lets you do your job as the writer during the first draft. It is significant to realize that if you don’t take care of the editor in you, it is likely to hold you back while writing.

If you cannot write a blog properly in the first place, you will never have a draft to edit. Adopt the above-mentioned measures to make sure it doesn’t happen. 

Good luck with separating your inner writer and editor.

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