What’s the best way to edit my writing without feeling overwhelmed?

“How do I know when I’ve done enough editing and my story’s actually ready to show to other people? I always feel like there’s more I could fix, but at some point, I don’t know if I’m overthinking it or if it really still needs work.”

There is no scarier feeling for a writer than knowing that you have to give your work to someone else to read. It’s paralysing. I’ve been doing it for years, and still get a nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever anyone reads something credited to me. The second I hand it over, I spot mistakes that I swear weren’t there a moment ago, and suddenly all you can see is what is wrong with your manuscript, instead of what you loved about it.

Those feelings are totally normal. The problem happens when you get those feelings before handing your work over to readers, because it will stop you from ever sharing what you’ve produced. A good editing process can definitely help you get out of your own head. Voltaire once said that “perfect is the enemy of good,” and those are words I live by.

Instead of letting fear of the finish line dictate my resolve, I choose to focus on the process itself. It’s about making my manuscript the best it can be with the resources at my disposal, and trusting that I’ve done everything I can to make it good enough. It’s important to remember as well that your first readers will be beta readers, and they’re invested in helping you improve too!

Why does editing feel so overwhelming?

Over the years, I’ve actually taught myself to love the process of editing. I used to find it an overwhelming chore, but sometimes, a little change in perspective is all you need to rethink the process.

Editing overwhelm typically stems from three sources:

1. You try to fix everything all in one go, and give yourself too big a job.
2. You don’t have a clear idea of what “done” looks like.
3. You focus too much on perfection rather than readiness.

All of these ultimately result in your brain trying to juggle too many tasks, and not being able to prioritise. Editing isn’t a one-and-done job. Think of it like polishing a diamond. When a jeweller polishes a stone and creates its facets, it takes multiple passes to achieve the look we all know so well. A cloudy hunk of rock gets turned into something beautiful through detailed work and careful practice.

That’s your story. It starts as something rough around the edges, and over multiple, directed passes, you slowly mould it into the best version of itself. So instead of thinking of the overwhelming task ahead, instead, focus on the smaller tasks it takes to get there. And shift your mindset from focusing on the work, and instead, focus on the result. Every directed pass makes your story better than the one before, and seeing it emerge can be such a great feeling!

So how do you create a structured editing process?

Work in distinct passes

I like to divide my editing into focused passes that each have a purpose. Knowing what I want to achieve with my editing makes it much more manageable than just diving right in with no plan.

My personal process is as follows:

1. I do a full read-through with no editing. I just let myself enjoy reading my work.
2. I do a second full read through, but this time, write notes as I go. I mark where I feel like the plot might be lagging, or if something was confusing. I make notes about character, or things I feel didn’t quite work as intended.
3. I do a developmental pass. I focus on big-picture elements like plot, character arcs, pacing, and theme. I specifically look at any things I marked and wrote notes about and see how I can improve it.
4. I read another book as a palate cleanser and come back to editing fresh.
5. I do another full read-through and mark scenes I think still need work.
6. I do a scene-level pass where I work only on the marked scenes to improve their flow within the story.
7. I do a line edit, where I focus on the prose. I look at things like sentence rhythm, word choice, dialogue, and use of description.
8. I do a copy edit where I focus on grammar, punctuation, consistency in spelling and word choice, and try to catch any stray typos.

Your own order and technique may vary. Finding what works for you often just requires a lot of experimentation. But doing each editing pass with a focus really helps me keep things manageable and reduce overwhelm.

Keep a separate document for all your thoughts

I have what amounts to an editing journal that I write down all my notes as I read through my manuscript. I use this journal multiple times during the editing process.

Inevitably, while doing my line edit, I’ll suddenly wonder if my antagonist’s motivation makes sense, or if the romance has happened too quickly. Instead of letting that question get me off track, I make a note of where in my manuscript that thought occurred, and write down some notes on why I had that thought and any other concerns I have. It lets me come back to it later when I’m in the right headspace to tackle it, instead of going off on a tangent.

What’s great about an editing journal is that often, when I review my notes, a lot of the concerns I had will have already resolved themselves. It saves me from repeating a lot of work.

Set time limits

Think about how long it takes you to read a book. It’s not common to do it in a single day, so why put pressure on yourself to do your editing as quickly as possible? You’re reading a book multiple times, so of course it’s going to take time!

With that in mind, try to set limits on how long you want to edit for. This could be time, or it could be chapters. Just work in focused blocks, and make sure you take lots of breaks. You don’t have to finish everything all at once in a single session. You can take your time and move slowly, which will keep the process much more manageable and, frankly, enjoyable.

Have a criterion for when you’re “done”

Define what “ready” means before you start

You need to have a clear idea of what finished looks like to you before you start editing, otherwise you might be at it forever. What are your goals for the process, and what is essential for you to have in place before you get it into the hands of readers?

These could be a checklist with simple done/not done scenarios like:

• Is my story well-paced? Y/N
• Do my character motivations make sense? Y/N
• Did I proofread my manuscript? Y/N
• Did I stick to my chosen theme? Y/N

When you’ve checked off everything on your list, then you’re done. Could there me room for improvement? Sure. There usually is. But a checklist of what you want to achieve gets you to a point where you’ve done the essentials, and you can stop. There’s always more you could do. That doesn’t mean you should.

Recognise the change from fixing to fiddling

You can usually tell when the nature of your editing changes. Early editing needs big changes. You’ll cut scenes, rewrite whole chapters, modify character arcs, and move the order of events around. Later editing involves smaller changes, like picking up on spelling and grammar errors, or making sure dialogue flows.

When you start nitpicking small word choices, like swapping synonyms, or fiddling about with specific conventions of punctuation, then you’ve got to the point of diminishing returns. If you start agonising about whether your character “walked” or “strode” into a room, then you’re no longer fixing, you’re fiddling. It’s just procrastination wearing an editor’s clothes.

Perfect is the enemy of good

Accept that “good enough” is actually good

A perfectionist mindset will try to tell you that somewhere, if you just put in enough effort, you’ll find the perfect version of your story. This is a lie.

Every choice we make when we write involves trade-offs. One change will affect something else, and often those choices aren’t better or worse, they’re just different.

If you wait for perfect, you’ll wait forever. Your goal shouldn’t be perfection; it should just be a good story that you think readers will enjoy. Think about your favourite books. Are they perfect? Almost certainly not. But they’re fun to read, and you enjoy them. And that is a much more achievable target.

Remember that readers don’t see your drafts

Every book that makes it to publication has gone through multiple revisions. You see the finished product, not the first draft.

Readers don’t know how many times you’ve agonised over a sentence. Readers don’t even necessarily care about it. They experience your words once, in context. They won’t compare; they’ll simply read.

Your readers don’t expect perfection. They expect a story worth their time.

Set a deadline and honour it

When you get overwhelmed, it’s often because you can’t see an end. But nothing gets rid of that concern like a deadline.

Give yourself a date to get your work into the hands of beta readers and stick to it. Whether you’re ready or not, that’s the date you have to be finished by. It will stop you agonising over trivial choices and keep you focused on the most important elements.

Know when to seek an outside perspective

Sometimes overwhelm comes from being too close to the work. Even though part of the fear may come from sharing it with readers, when you’re close to it, it can be hard to see the forest from the trees.

When you’ve read your work so many times, often, you can’t see it clearly anymore. There is no shame in enlisting the help of a trusted critique partner if you need a second pair of eyes.