Ask Jerry
Editing
Asked by Marilyn Delinois on February 8, 2021
Jerry, in keeping with your teaching "being a ferocious editor" (which by the way is my favorite) I find myself changing sentences 3 – 4 times.
How and when do you know that it's good enough?
Jerry's Answer
There's no easy answer, Marilyn, but it's that very decision that makes us authors. You must decide when you have stopped making something better and are now making it only different. Choose which version would make you keep reading, trust your gut, and move on.