This One Editing Method Will Truly Improve The Quality Of Your Stories
The only editing tip you ever need
Editing is the Holy Grail of writing.
Good writing comes from great editing. And this is the reason why your first draft is always sh*tty. But that’s okay because writing and dumping all your ideas into the screen or paper is what the first draft is about.
But without great editing?
You can write about the best possible topic and take hours writing it, but if you don’t spend enough time editing your writing, it’s the same as trying to build a house without fixing any mistakes in the foundation.
Although there are countless editing tips out there. But let’s forget about all those editing tips. Instead, I want to give you one powerful editing tip that’ll literally improve your story's quality 10 times better.
What’s the editing tip? Device Switching.
There are two main factors for this and why Device Switching works. Here’s what you really need to know about the psychology behind it:
#1: Change Blindness
We as writers, have Change Blindness disease.
This means when you continuously write and stare at the same screen for a long period of time, your brain becomes accustomed to the layout and overlooks the minor mistakes and errors in your writing.
Those mistakes are subtle changes that need to be fixed but since your brain is accustomed to the same layout and presentation, it really can’t find those subtle mistakes.
As a result, makes it so easier to overlook errors.
#2: Context-Dependent Memory
When writing and doing the same thing for the longest period of time, we get what they call “Content Dependent Memory.”
This means we recall the same information in the environment that we just learned previously. We can’t really think outside of the box except the things we have seen and learned.
When doing this, you can’t progress the knowledge or information in a different way because the context is the same. So to do it, you need to change the context.
Now the question comes: What actually is Device Switching and how to do it effectively to write and create better stories? Now we are talking!
Device Switching
Device Switching is a process, in which you first write your story in one device, and then for editing, you change the device and do it on another device.
For instance, if I’m writing this story on my laptop. But to edit it, I must use my phone or tablet. This allows me to avoid those two factors I just showed you: Change Blindless and Context-Dependent Memory.
Actionable Steps
Write your story in one device, doesn't really matter whether you use a laptop or phone. And then, just change the device when you’re editing the story. So if you write the story on your laptop, edit it via your phone and vice versa.
When you do it, here’s how changes and context look like — what makes the Device Switching method so effective in editing your story:
Writing on a laptop:
Editing on a phone:
You can clearly see the difference between context, length of writing, and the overall overview of how your story looks on both devices — makes it so easier to find errors and see the story from different points of view. Try it.
This story is sponsored by Medium Masterclass.
