How Printing Your Book Draft Improves Your Editing

Writing has changed significantly in the last few decades. Where once people pulled out pen and paper, or even a typewriter, we now click away on keyboards as digital letters appear on our screens. Authors jot entire chapters into their phones or tablets, allowing autocorrect to fix whatever mishap we create. Even editing has become simpler with online tools like Grammarly correcting spelling, grammar, and verb usage.

But there is something vital about taking your draft from digital to print.

This crossed my mind a while ago as I was printing a chapter for my critique group. Since we meet in person, we have to print about six copies of one section so people can read and scribble notes. In some cases it feels like a waste of paper (hence why I double-side my drafts). But when I’m editing my own work, glaring at my screen, I find that there’s more to printing than just using paper.

Consideration 1: Your Eyes Hate You Less

Between work, blogging, and building my online platform, I spend 98% of my day in front of a computer. I can’t speak to blue light or bad posture, but I do recognize that my vision gets hazy when glaring at words. The white of the page causes a weird blur effect that makes the letters feel more like shapes than words.

This could be why people like dark mode, but even then light is bombarding your eyes. Depending on the font and how it’s styled, your vision gets weary from trying to make out the shapes. Editing is hard enough; you don’t need to give yourself a headache trying to do so on your computer.

Now I do understand that it’s easier to edit your file directly and that Word and Grammarly have great tools for finessing grammar and such. But when you’re crafting unqiue names or languages, the cliche red lines underneath don’t help anyone discern a mistake from something the computer doesn’t recognize. And there’s a solid chance these programs won’t catch every mistake.

Consideration 2: You Spot More Mistakes

When I write Story of the Day posts, I have a particular format before publishing, so I usually open old posts and copy/paste/modify what I did before. Occasionally I read what I wrote, and tend to find the most random mistakes. I’ll skip words cause I think I wrote them already and swap letters because I’m typing so fast. I don’t use Grammarly, but I know for a fact Word nor WordPress catches these.

Printing your piece allows you to take a break from the glowing screen and focus on the words. If you’re wanting to present your story to a publisher or agent, you definitely don’t want miscellaneous mistakes.

Writing software like the ones I’ve mentioned are beneficial for certain tasks like basic word changes and finding a particular phrase. However, we have to think critically to recognize when a sentence sounds off or there are words missing. We can’t rely solely on technology; that’s why editors still have work. People notice inconsisties that machines can’t.

Consideration 3: Editing For Content Becomes Way Easier

I’m working on a fairytale retelling and had to revise chapter 1. Copy and pasting sections and rewriting sequences, I was all but confused by my quick changes. It took printing the chapter for me to recognize where I didn’t account for extra characters and notice the awkward transitions. And traditionally when I print, new ideas sputter to life that I then type to bolster the story.

I’ve noticed with Word that it wants to give content suggestions like colors or objects (sort of like the autofill for texting). But these don’t usually fit with your story or what’s happening in the scene. Getting a different perspective and less distractions allows your mind to process the content so you can edit where things go haywire.

Less distractions is truly key; I can’t describe how annoying it is to be editing my work and a notification bings on my desktop. Printing allows you to turn everything off and focus on what’s in front of you: a story that needs finessing. Editing is more than grammar; it’s the flow and rhythm of your story. That takes time and attention that you can’t fulfill if you’re scrolling.

Final Thoughts: Distractions Destroy Progress

My vice isn’t social media; I’d happily delete it all if it wasn’t part of building my author platform. Youtube and video streaming, however, are. I get obsessed with binge watching tv shows and laughing at 30 minute videos. I tell myself I need a little break from editing or writing, and I get sucked into the rabbit trail for the rest of the day.

The convenience of a computer is broad, making it a blessing and a curse. You can type and edit your story with ease, but also access that post your friend sent you or spend hours shopping for books.

It’s important to get away from technology for a spell so you can accomplish what needs to get done. Printing your book and pulling out the red pen is one great way of doing this. The paper is worth it to keep you on track with your goals.