Editing.  I hate it.

Writing, while not easy, is fun.  I get a scene going in my head and my fingers just fly across the keyboard. Sometimes, I just can’t seem to type fast enough.  I’m sure there is probably some scientific study showing that whatever side of the brain is the creative side (I can’t remember off the top of my head, ha ha), kicks into full gear when I’m writing.  

Editing, on the other hand, is a chore.  The opposite side of the brain, the logical side, is in command and second guesses everything.  The best way I have found so far to edit, is to read my words out loud.  It slows the brain down and really gives you a good sense of whether a sentence sounds right.  It also helps figure out where to put the damn commas, the bane of my existence as a writer.

When you are writing, your first draft, probably even your second and third drafts, are nowhere near being ready, even for your beta readers.  At least if you want to keep them and not drive them crazy with all your mistakes.

To help with the editing process, I found Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King to be very useful.  

I also found these 10 rules for self-editing helpful (spread out over two posts):

10 Rules on Self-Editing (pt. 1)

10 Rules on Self-Editing (pt. 2)

Cheers!
Lisa