I am curious–how do you handle your blog posts writing ang posting, as it relates to editing? Do you sleep on them, and edit fresh? Are you a post on the fly type? I usually find my writing can be improved with a fresh look, but wonder if that is losing time.

I can and do write on the fly, but am wondering if others have a method.

Ive read a lot of books on editing, as well as writer’s market books on the different ways that writers edit and write their content (whether it be books, blog posts or articles). I’ve learned that every writer / author has a different approach to writing, but when it comes to editing a fresh eye is usually best – which makes sense.

Personally, I write a first draft (which is usually a mess) and, depending on my time, I put it aside for 20 minutes, an hour, a day (depending on my time) and then come back to it – edit it and do the same thing once more. The fresher the eyes the better my content, I find. And the more time I spend editing, of course, the better the content. 

@joanmuschampfagnani
I try to write the post a day or two before it goes up to give myself time. This will give me adequate time to rewrite it three or four times. Find what I want to expand on and what I want to reduce.

As far as guest posts go, I read them and only edit them if they are way off the mark. My blog is about Specialty Coffee. so, the only reason I would edit something is to completely reject it, as in it doesn’t reflect the blog’s purpose or they get rude. I want the author’s voice to come through (for example, praising sbucks coffee will get a quick reject ;p )

But @melissaagnes is right in that you will find your editorial style, which I am pretty sure you know already.

@joanmuschampfagnani I type mine out in WordPad first, then paste it into Word for spelling / grammatical checks.  I find that re-reading my own posts for any other edits is kinda useless unless it has been a few days because it always sounds good in my head.  :)

I know I can be long winded. So editing is an act of mercy for my readers. Like to get ut into the blog , see it with photos then leave it overnight. Often think of something to add / cut at that time.

I am also “for the moment” writer.  Writing on life, stress and humor means that it is most often spontaneous.  I usually dump it all on the page, read it through for continuity, make any necessary changes, run spell check, fix and post.  If I wait then the whole post changes.

@parmfarm – I’m not a reporter, but in grad school we had write essays and reports on the fly for routine exams. I learned to write on the fly and I actually enjoy it!

@joanmuschampfagnani

I tend to write it in Word, spell check it, read it out loud a few times, and then post it. There is the occasional typo, but it’s pretty rare and is usually a syntax issue and not spelling. If I discover it or someone makes me aware of it, I fix it immediately.

I write my blog posts as drafts whenever I get a good idea. I walk away for at least 30 minutes, then read it backwards, word for word. I usually catch most mistakes that way. I take another break, then read the post out loud. I can usually hear an error that my eyes just skipped over. Then I add any graphics, polish and post.

@stonepeople Yup me too …letting it rest for a day or 2  is prudent. I always find that when I return to do a final edit I see things that when I wrote the piece escaped me. 

I really depend on my editorial calendar to have a look at any pending posts before publishing time.

@charlottewood @stonepeople @ptwylie All good ideas. I definitely write ahead–sometimes I have an idea I need to get on paper, but if I’m in the midst of a series, I might not want to interrupt the flow. 

@ptwylie

Well, not necessarily.  (Previous sentence is 3 words, and you would take a short breath after “well.”)

Sorry; I can’t help myself!

I write and rewrite and wish I could sit on things or have a second pair of eyes, but I’m solo. If I wait too long I may change my thinking and abandon the topic for some new idea. I, too, read the article out loud. It helps catch awkward phrasing (eliminating Pa Dutch phrasing is a challenge to me!) and also reveals typos and wrong words — (their not there).

Lately, I’ve been writing at night and posting first thing in the morning. That gives it a rest for fresh eyes without the ideas getting stale.

My typical writing process is to write it once, run back through a second time to polish and plug holes. Wait for a few hours, edit once again, and then publish.

I’ll usually go back a day or two later and polish the already published work.

Of course, I can’t do this for newspaper columns, but when I republish them on my blog, they get the same final polish.

I don’t write that often-only one to two times a week. But, my posts are resource-heavy and tend to be on the long side. I write a post, then wait at least half a day to look it over, and I  try to look at it in a different platform. So, if I wrote the post as a Word Doc, then I’ll review it in Wordpress or as a preview on my blog.

@ecumenix I agree that we need to keep our content fresh and inviting in our own ways. I find editing helps me clarify the ideas better. I’ve also found that often I get more ideas for future posts by reading my work later.