3 Powerful Steps to Self-Critique Your Writing

You did it! You’re writing! You’ve got the rhythm. You’ve got the flow. You’re getting words on the page. The story is taking shape.

Sure, it’s messy, but who cares? You’re writing!

After a few days or weeks, you look at your Google doc full of raw, unedited writing. You scroll and scroll through the messy first draft, and the excitement you felt evaporates like mist in the hot sun. You run a hand over your anxious face. This is gonna need some work.

Dear one, you’ve reached a glorious yet perilous stage of writing: revision.

First, you should be extremely proud. Many writers give up before getting here. You’ve defeated your first boss of the writing life: finishing the sh*tty first draft. You’ve made it to the next level.

And as they say: new level, new devil.

Now that you have a mountain of raw writing, you’re ready to self-critique and revise.

“But how?!” you cry. “The writing’s terrible! There’s no structure! None of it connects!”

I hear you. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed at this stage, AND there is a way forward.

Here’s a powerful 3-step process to self-critique and revise your own writing like a bestselling writer without perfectionism, overwhelm, or dropping $3K+ on a developmental editor.

Ready to merge the knowledge you gained in this video into your writing life? Take these three actions steps:

  1. Share this blog post & video with a writing buddy. Your learning will go deeper when you talk about these concepts with another writer.

  2. Comment below: How will you use what you learned to self-critique your own work?

  3. Download the worksheet below: “SHIP IT! Free Yourself from Perfectionism Without Writing Crap” so you never have to lower your writing standards or get stuck in a perfectionism spiral that keeps you stuck.

    (BONUS DOWNLOAD: This worksheet can help you write work you’re proud to publish. Hop on my LitHabits VIP list above and download the SHIP IT! Checklist to lock it into your writing process. VIPS get weekly articles to grow their practice, early access to author interviews, writing workshop discounts, and more.)

    Renee Long5 Comments