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Hey Reader,

I got an email the other day from a new subscriber. He was answering my "What's your biggest struggle with self-editing?" welcome question, and his response cracked me up:

"It usually takes me a while to write the damn post because I'm editing as I go. So at the end I'm just like "f*ck it - send."

I laughed because that last bit is so relatable.

It doesn't matter if you've been writing for 20 days or 20 years — we all have our f*ck it - send moments.

But once I stopped giggling, I realized he was running out of time because he says he edits while he writes. I've addressed this behavior in a previous newsletter, but I want to dive deeper into it today because it's the equivalent of self-destructing, which is no bueno.

Why do we edit while we write?

Even though I know it's a mistake, I still sometimes struggle to leave the editing 'till I'm done with draft 1.

It's so hard to ignore shitty sentences, weird phrasing, unsupported claims, and all the mess that comes out of our brains during the interpretation gap phase of writing.

But it's a trap.

To quote myself from my Content Editing course:

"The trap with editing while you write is that you could ... lose your flow. It's kind of like when you come back into a conversation and you're like, what was I saying? So I have to start over and read what I've written so far to get back into my flow."

Here's the full clip of that moment from my course if you're curious:​​

We're so susceptible to losing our train of thought and self-interrupting.

Even if you block all possible external interruptions (LinkedIn, email, slack, your phone), we're still prone to distract ourselves.

I love this quote from a recent podcast episode on The Ezra Klein Show :

So yeah, putting your phone on airplane mode is only half the battle. And arguably the much easier half.

We must have serious self-control to get around this instinct to edit while writing.

Which, in my opinion, is a form of self-interruption.

Here's how I trick myself into ignoring my impulses...

My mental trick to separate editing from writing

In my previous newsletter issue about this topic, I mentioned a quick 3-step process to stop editing while you write:

1. Create: Braindump with your creative mind
2. Break: Step away for a time
3. Make it great: Edit with your analytical mind

That's all well and good, but it's really hard to break a habit and change your behavior.

The only way I can stop myself from touching those shitty sentences on draft 1 is by practicing forethought.

This is something Gloria Mark also dove into on Ezra's podcast.

It's the practice of forcing yourself to think about how your actions now will affect you later.

Every time I start to edit while I'm writing, I ask myself:

"Do I still want to be working on this draft in [timeframe]?"

The answer is a resounding no. I don't want it to take longer than it needs to.

And I know if I mess about editing, I'll enter the FAFF zone (which stands for the F*cking ahhhh f*ck f*ck zone).

Once you're in the FAFF zone, time runs at half-speed. Every sentence feels like it takes ages to write. Your brain can't tell if anything you're creating is good. You begin to second-guess why you ever decided to write in the first place. It's a mess.

This is when you reach the f*ck it - send moment.

Editing be damned — I just need this experience to end.

When you practice forethought, though, you go to the FAFF zone for a few seconds in your head, realize how shitty it feels, decide, "Not today, ya FAFF," and reclaim your time.

It's such a simple exercise, but it works so well.

Also...

My favorite reason not to edit while writing is that you may be perfecting a sentence that you ultimately decide to chop.

In which case, you've wasted ~15 minutes faffing about for absolutely no reason.

If you truly can't leave it alone, the next best option is to write yourself a note/comment to the effect of:

"This sentence sucks. Return to it later and make it make more sense. Something like x, y, z."

This way, you're letting yourself know that you know that everyone knows the sentence needs editing.

And you can move right along.

Hope this helps!

PS. I'm back from my 5-week stint abroad and have the biggest Birkenstock tan alive. Does anyone else deal with tiger-striped feet in the summer? I'd share a pic but...noone needs to see that.

Catch you next week!

(And thanks for bearing with me last week as I took a proper vacation and much-needed break from any work, including LinkedIn & this newsletter.)

Cheers,

Erica

PPS. I'm still thinking about creating a paid newsletter option (will keep the free one of course), where you can submit your work to me and I edit it & share the breakdowns via Loom videos. I'd also get guest editors into the ring for "edit off's" so you can see how different editors change things, and why.

It'd be around $9/month.

​​​If you're interested, click this link to let me know​.​

Check out my 3 courses that 1700+ people have taken, loved, and gotten meaningful results from:

1. Long to Short: Turn one long-form piece into a month's worth of posts. A step-by-step system to repurpose, remix, and remaster your best ideas.

2. Hooked on Writing Hooks: Turn your ideas into content that actually gets consumed. Learn to write scroll-stopping hooks on social without resorting to clickbait nonsense that feels inauthentic.

3. Content Editing 101. Kill decision fatigue and build confidence as a writer and editor. A look inside a professional editor's workflow & best practices. Packed with lessons, examples, and a roadmap so you can stop second-guessing your writing & editing decisions.

Each course is AI-powered 🪄

You can go through them manually or use AI to play, get it done faster, and test your new skills in real time. My friend & prompt genius Rob Lennon wrote all the prompts and bots for the courses.

Want to work with me 1:1?

Check out my Content Sparring 🥊 offer: It's for seasoned solopreneurs who feel like they've hit a content plateau and want an experienced editor to ping-pong ideas and content with.

What'd you think of today's email? Reply and let me know.

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Erica Schneider

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