How Much Time to Leave an Article Draft Before Final Edit?

54

I read a question in an online group asking how long to let a draft article sit before re-editing it. I don't think there is a hard and fast rule for this, but here is a general impression from my own work experience.

If I'm writing an article to sell, it is usually 500 to 1,200 words. So it is relatively short. But I may have reworked it several times. Often, the temptation is to just get it done and up on the Constant-Content site where I sell many articles I write. Taking less time to edit would increase my hourly earnings.

But more often than not, I have found it's better to let the article sit overnight or at least until the end of the day before re-editing it. Doing so makes it much easier to spot obvious changes. 

Sometimes, I let drafts sit for weeks or months. When editing an article, I might rewrite it or add to it so much it becomes obvious I should break it into two or more articles. When I break it up, I can earn more money once they all sell. 

There is no time limit for letting an article simmer except to say it is better to let it sit a few hours or a day or two. Taking a walk in between edits can always be helpful too.

Edit Until...

Writing is the easy part. You sit at a computer or pull out your journal and spew your thoughts. But if you want to share or publish your writing, editing is necessary. Blog posts can get away with a little less work, but articles take more editing. 

When I edit something I've thrown together, I first try to decide where I to go with it. It has to serve a purpose. It has to ask and answer a question. There needs to be flow. The sequence has to make sense. 

(That being said, I've gone back over some things I've written and published and much later see it could have flowed better. We are always a work in progress.)  

Cut Words

Cutting unnecessary words is an important edit. When I write eBooks, not only do I cut the unnecessary words I notice, I go to lists of words I've saved that professional editors say to cut (you can find lists online). I do a word search on various words or phrases and cut them out drastically.

It's always a good idea to give yourself time between edits even if it is simply minutes. 

I edit an article, leave it to work on another, and return to it later. I do this on and off until I can read an article through without making a change. Then I know it's ready. 

Of course, the perfectionist in most writers keeps seeing more to change. When this becomes problematic, I just call it quits. I say it's good enough, and I send it in to the editors.