The more I edit, the better I write.

The more I edit other people's writing, the better my writing becomes.

This struck me when I saw this quote from Eddie Shleyner: “The more I edit, the better I write” about editing his own copy.

Eddie Shleyner

I agree wholeheartedly.

But, until I thought about it, I hadn't realized how editing other people's writing had impacted my own.

When editing another writer's work, I want to be able to justify the edit to the writer, if necessary. So I think about each edit differently (and in greater depth) than when working on my own writing. I believe this process is positively impacting my writing both in early drafts and during final editing.

Guess it's just "exercising the muscle" in a different way.

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NOTE: In 2021, I was interviewed by Eddie: Micro-Interview: Scott Frothingham, Copywriter