The longer you can wait without getting feedback, the better. But for something that has a short deadline (e.g.: a blog post, a letter and perhaps the essay you were writing), it’s perfectly okay to get feedback sooner. Just be sure you trust the person giving you the feedback!

Today I completed another page of a text I am writing to a medical students essay competition. I am loving to write it. I even have a smile on my face while typing and I am not re-editing. I also wanna share that the day I wrote the first words I had the PC covered up as you suggest in this post. It works!

Since I felt so good while writing, I wanted to share it with my boyfriend and hear his opinion (I told him to ignore any mistake) and I did. I was so nervous to show him the text, deep inside I was afraid he would kill my mood or not get my point.

What do you think , is it a good or bad thing to share the drafts right away?

By the way, my boyfriend said he really liked the text.

Thank you
Raquel L

The difference really depends on what I’m writing. For my weekly column, for example, there’s typically little difference in structure & form after editing. That’s because I’ve been doing this column for 10 years now and I feel as though the structure is carved into my brain! But for the book I’m working on right now, there are often HUGE changes in structure between the first draft and the final one.

In terms of leaning how the “great writers” edited, I think it’s more useful to consider your own working habits and develop an approach that really works for you. We are all very different!

This is very useful advice . Thank you Daphne . How different are your final version and the first draft ( as content, structure, form)? I read your post on how great writers wrote. I am curious how great writers edit. Of course, I do not know how people were able to edit/ write before computers, but manuscripts are great for us to pick into editing process, perhaps. (?)

Thanks for your wonderful post Daphne. It is a great idea. I will definitely give it a shot!

My rule when it comes to books is that I wait at least six weeks before editing. So I don’t finish a chapter and edit it right away. I force myself to wait six weeks.That way I have the opportunity to come to the material with much fresher eyes. For stuff that needs to be turned around faster I try to give material at least a day. If that’s impossible, I will do something else, ideally something very distracting (lunch/phone conversation/work on a very different project), before turning my attention to editing.

Thanks for your wonderful tips! I have been trying to get rid of my habit of editing while I am writing, and I find your tips quite useful. But, I was wondering how often do you edit while you write? For example, when you are writing a book do you edit after you have written a chapter? Or do you do the entire editing after finishing the whole book?

Glad this rang true for you!

Just want to clarify that I am NOT an academic, but I have worked with many. Thanks of your kind words.