Which Editing Mantra is Your Favorite?

During our Master Class on the seven different styles of nonprofit writing, we talk a bit about editing too, and knowing ourselves as writers.

As we close the workshop, I asked participants to pick one of the six quotes about editing as their own personal mantra to remember as they write and edit at work.

We’ve done this workshop a few times and three of them are standout favorites, so I thought you might like them too.

Good stories are not written. They are rewritten. ~Phyllis Whitney

and

You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.  ~Jodi Picoult

and

Good things, when short, are twice as good. ~Baltasar Gracian

Which one is the best reminder for you? 

For me personally, I like what Zadie Smith said about becoming the reader and therefore editing for what the reader wants and needs.