While I generally subscribe to Jack Kerouac’s idea that our first thought is our best, I would add that our first thought, on its first iteration, is rarely as precise as it can be. Thus, the need for editing. But why, then, do I need an editor? Why can’t I edit on my own? Well, you could. The question is would you want to? The problem with being your own editor is that, no matter what level of writer you are, you can’t help growing attached to your words as you write them. In short, we get precious about our words, in much the same way we get precious about our children. They are ours, after all. It’s difficult to admit–or even to recognize–when they need correcting. That is the role of the editor, as I see it: to be both dispassionate and thorough, in the service of a better final product.

What I can do is make you a more conscious, intentional writer. Bad writing, regardless of the genre, has a laxity about it. Sentence boundaries break down consistently; punctuation is haphazard. Becoming a better writer means becoming more self aware, having a reason for every word on the page.

Read and read and read! And, when you are writing, respect your reader. Don’t waste her precious time with wordy phrases like “at this particular point in time.” Just say “now!”

People have a REALLY hard time with this question, I think, because of a misunderstanding about intelligence. They presume that intelligence, in the singular, is intrinsic, that you either have it or you don’t, and if you don’t score well on a test, it is a reflection of who you are as a person–“I must not be smart.” This is wrong. The truth is standardized tests measure different intelligences, plural. They do not measure intelligence, singular. The intelligence tested on the SAT Verbal, for example, differs from that of the LSAT or the PRAXIS. It has its own rules and idiosyncrasies. Test prep teaches you to think in certain ways, with certain goals in mind. It trains you to recognize patterns and to approach questions strategically. And these skills, I think, can all be learned. But they take time! There is no cramming for these things, unfortunately.

Lots of good research has been done on this topic. I would refer you to the work of Dr. Jo Boaler at Stanford. What she points out is that, in the short term, memorization can have a positive impact on math learning. However, memorization is less effective in producing long-term results. The reason reading scores are slower to improve than math scores is that, unlike math, memorization has almost no measurable impact on language skills. Improving reading and writing takes time and strategy.

First of all, you are not alone. Sometimes it is hard to identify why you may be struggling. Usually, when students come to me with this issue, I quickly discover in talking to them that their reading habits need an overhaul. If this is the case, simple active reading strategies can improve students’ comprehension, vocabulary, engagement with reading, and, ultimately, their grades.

There is no right answer here. If you are like me, some papers or stories will be relatively polished by the second draft. Others will take six or seven drafts. In writing, though, as in economics, there is a law of diminishing returns. More drafts does not necessarily mean better writing. At a certain point, edits will begin to detract. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.