Have you been working on your piece for a while, but your creative juices seem to have dried up lately? It may be a good time to do a bit of editing. It can help you clear the deck to figure out what to augment and what to diminish. Then you can fix the newfound problems and move forward. But how do you get started?

Editing will require you to separate from your initial, creative self: the part that knows what you meant to say when you crafted the early drafts of your piece. You must now pretend you are seeing the piece for the first time.

Wearing your new hat, your first job is to scrutinize the big picture—from the perspective of one of your intended readers.

If you have trouble getting that hat to fit, recall other times in your life when you have adopted another person’s point of view. If you have ever acted in a play, done character imitations for your friends, or read lines of dialogue to a child from a storybook, you have some experience pretending to be someone else.

Follow these three steps to get your inner editor going:

1. Take a step back

Wait at least 24 hours after you’ve written a particular section. By giving yourself some time to reflect and gain a little distance, you will be quicker to spot problem areas in your draft.

At that point, start looking for content holes or blemishes, such as:

• The piece is missing some important information your readers need to know
• Your points are not clearly presented
• It is not as accessible to your intended readers as it should be
• The flow of the piece is not yet smooth, and/or the sequence and organization don’t make sense.
• The tone you used throughout (or in certain spots) is a bit off
• The piece contains unnecessary or distracting concepts

Unless you are very close to finishing the piece and putting it out into the world, resist the temptation to dwell on copyediting or proofreading issues (word usage, grammar, spelling, etc.). Those can wait. For now, you just want to make sure the piece is whole and well-thought out.

2. Don a thick skin and get some blunt feedback

Believe me, I know this can be tough. At this point, you may feel quite attached to and sensitive about your piece. It is, after all, something you created and brought into this world: your “baby,” as it were.

But no matter how careful you may have been in the writing process, a second or third perspective will improve it. This will help whether you need some confirmation that you are indeed on the right track, or you think you might need a bit of course correction.

Your reviewers should preferably be no more than acquaintances—or, good friends whom you can trust to give honest opinions and not sugar-coated comments. Show, in advance, appreciation and respect for their time and honesty. Ask them to try their best to be:

1)     Objective (i.e., downplay their own personal biases)

2)     Specific (i.e., say exactly what is wrong and how they might change it)

3)     Consistent (i.e., maintain the same standards and approach throughout the piece)

First, identify for them your piece’s purposes and intended readers. Then, ask them to address at least the following questions:

1. Does the piece effectively achieve its purposes?
2. Does the piece speak to its intended readers?
3. What worked well?
4. What could use improvement?

I like to add a fifth crucial question to the mix:

5. How do they feel after reading the piece?

Your reviewers might feel confused, unconvinced, dissatisfied, frustrated, disappointed, overwhelmed, or hopeless—as opposed to positive, inspired, motivated, encouraged, or generous. You, the writer, need to know this!

3. Regroup

Take all of the feedback you’ve collected and compare it to your initial editorial thoughts. Did your reviewers agree with your own assessments?

You need to decide what criticisms and suggestions are legitimate, given your resources, and which will have to wait or be tossed in the recycling bin. You should also consider the vantage point of each reviewer to understand her or his comments, especially if you get conflicting feedback.

Given a little time, you will probably find that even the harshest comments feel less like attacks, and instead simply genuine and constructive. Having a sympathetic friend listen to you talk about the criticism you received may also help you process it.

If you think you could benefit from help beyond what you can find within your own circles, consider working with a writing coach or professional editor. Also, if you think your piece could benefit from a co-author (or –authors), consider writing your piece collaboratively.

With a little practice, switching from writer” to “editor” will get easier and will help direct your writing at critical points. Call on each one at the appropriate time.