Author and Certified Life Coach Martina Faulkner, LMSW, dives into some of her favorite quotes, writing tips, and sources of inspiration. Check back for more insight into her life, her process, and what drives her forward.
Know When to Stop and When to Edit
There are two things that have helped me immensely with my writing process.
The first is knowing when to stop and step away. As an energy worker, I can sense when the energy has shifted in my writing, but I think any writer will know what I’m talking about. You don’t need to be a trained energy worker to sense a shift in your writing.
When you feel that you’ve lost the momentum or the plot, it’s important to simply stop. If you push through, you will end up in hours of editing and rewriting that you don’t need to do. Simply stopping to do something else for a while is much better.
As for editing, that’s the second thing that has helped me immensely. I only edit when I feel something is at least 95% done. For me, editing along the way complicates things and might actually remove a nugget that could be used elsewhere simply because it didn’t fit where it was initially.
Knowing when to edit is just as important as knowing when to stop and step away. Combined, they make the process of writing much easier.
