How to Keep Going: The Editing Process

And going... and going... yes, still going...

Sep 16, 2025

Header illustration by Heather.

Last month, I got to share some major news: My first collection of essays will be out in early 2027!

It’s been years in the making. And during those years, there have been many, many edits. They weren’t always BIG edits—sometimes it was on an essay level. Other times, on a paragraph level. (And don’t even get me started on the sentence level).

I did a poll in the last issue about what folks wanted to hear more about and the top vote was: what it’s like to work on edits.

I am still learning what it means to sit with one project for so long (like I said last month: this is the longest, most intense project I’ve ever done!).

For example: I wrote one of the essays in the book back in 2019. Here’s how many phases that essay went through:

some time in 2019 (2018?): First draft
2019: Draft presented at a workshop for critique - edits incorporated.
2020: Started submitting the essay to journals
2020: Rejections were received! More edits.
2020: More submitting to journals
2020: Accepted in a journal! yay!
2020: More edits. And then: the essay is out in the world!
2022: The essay is now part of the manuscript, and further edits are happening!
2023-2025: Some slight editing as I work to tweak the manuscript as a whole.

Phew.

In some ways, it feels kind of wild to think about the life of an essay this way. Over those six years, my approach as a writer and my viewpoints on the essay’s subject have both changed.

Visiting the essay again and again meant that I needed to remember the emotional core of the story and why I felt compelled to write it. It’s an essay that deals with the complicated feeling of being both an “insider” and “outsider.”

That was the work I put into that essay. Now, there was the rest of the book. The best advice I got from folks was: think about the book as one essay after another after another. Focus on making each essay as strong as possible, don’t pressure yourself into making ONE AMAZING, BIG BOOK. (I want to do that too, but you get it). Yes, this is the Ann Lamott “bird by bird” philosophy, but it’s important to hear it from writers and friends, especially during those tough days.

As I kept diving into the whole manuscript, I needed some way to ground myself because it all felt like so much work. The Virgo rising in me wanted it all to be PERFECT and COMPELLING and AMAZING. How exhausting to approach your writing this way every time.

I had to work on a lot of my mental muscles: patience, grace, curiosity. I got less shy about asking folks for advice, or for encouragement.

The manuscript has changed quite a bit since I sent that very first draft to my agent (hi, Amanda!) in 2020. Here’s what kept me sane during those days when the edits felt daunting:

I asked for an accountability buddy: A friend gave me a deadline and texted me to ask, “Did you finish your edits yet?”
I signed up for classes: A lot of this manuscript (pretty much all of it) came to life during the Memoir in a Year class with Megan Stielstra. That structure really helped me make progress with the manuscript, and so did the edits from my classmates and Megan (who is incred, no big deal!). I also took shorter workshops and classes after this year-long class ended.
I texted and called when it got tough: I spoke to friends in all chapters of their creative process. Some friends are published authors. Others were also working on their first book. Others were friends in totally different disciplines. I reached out, and they listened. What a gift!
I paused when I needed to: And, honestly, I probably could’ve done this more. Life was LIFE-ing. The manuscript wasn’t everything. That might sound harsh, but it’s the truth. Major life things happened. Work got busy. My mental health wasn’t great. I paused on edits when I had to, and asked for more time when I needed it. Even on good days, I realized I just needed to pause and not be productive.
I asked for feedback from close friends: Sometimes I felt stuck, or I was scared that the essay I was working on wasn’t totally fleshed out. I asked for feedback from close writer friends who understand my writing and themes. This has been so, so useful for me. Writing gets lonely. Rejections feel intense. Feedback from someone you trust (some that gets your work, but also pushes you) is priceless.
I changed locations: I know it’s not always possible, but a change of scenery really does wonders for my process. I did a residency last year in Nebraska City that helped me focus and break down all the edits that were pending in my manuscript. On a smaller scale, I often go to a cafe or the library when I feel stuck. Even getting a couple of good hours in can make a difference. It doesn’t have to be an entire day!

I hope this is helpful - hit reply if you have any questions/comments/thoughts! Thanks, as always, for reading!