When to Stop Editing Your Writing

The best and worst thing about writing is the infinite possibilities. It is terrifying. You have to dive in the deep end without being able to see the other side. So how do you know when you’ve reached it? How do you decide when your story is complete, and you can stop editing?

I could edit forever. Theoretically, this would make the story better and better. I could send it out for more and more opinions. I could add and delete bits into eternity. And aren’t we striving for the best written story we can create?

Editing does not always make a story better. It makes it smooth and polished, but grit is part of a story too. It’s why I love The Strokes. I’m sure there’s someone out there who thinks their sound is too gritty. But it’s what I love about them.

So where do I draw my made-up finish line?

Every time I sit down to write, a different version of myself shows up. Eventually, a confident version shows up and declares the story finished. That’s it. That’s when I know it’s done.