A commonly-shared writing tip is “don’t edit as you write.” I understand this advice, and for the novice writer who is trying to finish their first short story or novel, I believe it’s good advice. 

The idea is that you finish a project before you start to polish the project. Actually finishing can be tough (for both the novice and the seasoned writer), and saying “don’t edit till you’ve finished the story” is meant to keep the writer on track. This advice advocates moving forward to the point of writing “The End,” rather than spending time and mental energy on polishing the perfect first page and leaving a story incomplete. 

So yes, “don’t edit as you write” can be good advice for certain people in certain circumstances. But like a lot of writing advice, it’s not a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. I edit as I write; in my early days of writing, I quickly learned that the “just keep writing and edit later” thing wasn’t going to work for me. 

Why I Edit as I Write 

I self-edit, revise, delete, and make all sorts of changes while still writing my first draft because, quite frankly, I can’t think straight if I don’t. As I write, new ideas come to me as the plot, characters, and story world develop. (Yes, I outline before I write – sometimes in great detail. But even so, the act of writing generates new possibilities that have to be handled on the fly).