Why Edit?
Maybe you get pretty good results after writing just an initial draft. So why edit? I could give you a long speech on the merits of editing, but it's pretty simple, really.
You should edit because no matter how good your first draft is, if you edit well, you can always improve it.
Editing (especially if you give yourself enough time to do it properly, i.e. 24 hours at the least) allows you time to collect your thoughts, to add things that you didn't think of the first time around and to refine what you already have. If it's an essay, it gives you time to digest your arguments. If it's a story, it gives you time to reflect on your plot.
Also, editing is the only way you will improve your writing. Good writing doesn't just happen. Some people have more of a natural talent for written self-expression (and if you're one of them, don't think that you're exempt you from needing editing. I guarantee you that you know someone who is a better writer than you are, and if you don't yet, you will sooner or later meet someone who is), but even so, like anything else in life, there is always room for improvement.
Basically, never settle just for doing well. You should always challenge yourself to do better.
You should edit because no matter how good your first draft is, if you edit well, you can always improve it.
Editing (especially if you give yourself enough time to do it properly, i.e. 24 hours at the least) allows you time to collect your thoughts, to add things that you didn't think of the first time around and to refine what you already have. If it's an essay, it gives you time to digest your arguments. If it's a story, it gives you time to reflect on your plot.
Also, editing is the only way you will improve your writing. Good writing doesn't just happen. Some people have more of a natural talent for written self-expression (and if you're one of them, don't think that you're exempt you from needing editing. I guarantee you that you know someone who is a better writer than you are, and if you don't yet, you will sooner or later meet someone who is), but even so, like anything else in life, there is always room for improvement.
Basically, never settle just for doing well. You should always challenge yourself to do better.
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