Editing doesn’t cost much, just some time and patience, but the value is priceless.  I know we’d all like to think that what we write is perfect as it drips from the pen or pops off the keyboard, but sadly it is not.  What makes your writing go from good to great is the editing process. 

Not only can you cut away extraneous words, but you can beef up scenes and give them more impact.  Repeat after me: Editing is your friend.  If you’ve edited your story on the computer screen, then print it and edit it again.  Read it aloud and you may find things that still don’t quite work.  Three times is a good round number for editing, but for large projects (like a novel) you may need to edit much more. 

Please don’t be discouraged, use editing as an opportunity to polish your work to a brilliant shine.  For novels I also highly recommend 1st, 2nd, and 3rd readers.  Objective others who are not your mother and will look for places to improve your work, not praise your work as perfect because it is yours.  I look for someone who writes, is well read, and who will be honest and positive in their critique. 

Editing is a valueable step in the writing process, so don’t forget to use it. (Comments appreciated!)