Try editing for just ten minutes at a time

Writing and editing are often compared to marathons.

But just as there are recommendations to do the former in increments versus one long push, so too does one editor suggest a piece-by-piece approach to the latter.

Kris Spisak turns again to athletic events to illustrate why editing is not the arena in which to push for a time record.

You wouldn’t expect the fiftieth pushup you’d done without stopping to be anywhere near as good as the first few ones, right?

The same holds true for editing, Spisak says, and that’s why she suggests an editing method in which you work for ten minutes on your manuscript — exclusively.

After that, you take a break to refresh yourself, then return to editing.

Spisak’s post on the benefits of timed editing is up at Writer’s Digest.

Related posts 

• The benefits of editing your novel in waves 

• Two-minute tip: Try the Pomodoro Technique