Early Bird · 10:42am Mar 27th, 2014
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned that the trick to writing is to find what works best for you. I've always had difficulty editing - sitting down with a printed copy and a pencil, or staring at a laptop screen full of words, has never really gotten me very far other than spotting a few grammar and spelling mistakes. But this morning I found that my sleep-deprived, barely-awake self is more than capable of editing a lengthy chapter of fanfiction by lying in bed with a mobile phone, adding comments. Sure, the comments are sometimes inspired by tiredness (that is, they're completely unhelpful) but most of them are genuinely useful and should allow me to write as well as I can.
I know this arrangement doesn't work for everyone, but I also know that it does work for me. I've never seen anyone else advise this (and I've read a lot of internet advice on how to edit!) but that doesn't change the fact that I've finally found a system that allows me to edit efficiently and well. It seem to me that the most important thing is not to despair over how such-and-such a technique doesn't work for you, but to keep searching until you find one that does.
Your faithful student,
Quill Scratch
