Cheat sheet: How to make your rough draft better

Welcome to part four of my five-part series on “finding your writing process.”

In the past few posts, we’ve covered:

• Why you need a good collaborator (and why you probably shouldn’t just hire a ghostwriter to write stuff for you).
• 4 Alternative writing methods that work — and how you can make progress on a written project without actually “writing” anything down.
• How to write consistently. (A must-read if you haven’t been able to keep up the writing projects you’ve started, and struggle to know what to say.)

Today, I’m going to talk about one of the most essential parts of the writing process when it comes to non-fiction: reviewing and editing.

I’ll even give you a cheat sheet to make all your rough drafts better!

First, let's tackle the big question: how do you make your writing better?

I’ve written before about the value of setting aside your inner critic when starting any kind of creative product. But I’ve also mentioned that your critic can be useful at certain junctures. Namely, the editing stage.

So, when it comes to editing your work, what do you look for?

Lots of people worry about whether their grammar and punctuation is perfect. And that’s useful too. But to take writing from ho-hum to hella good, we need to think more critically.

And that means addressing 3 essential questions (4 if you’re a real keener!)

Let’s take a look...

Editing Cheat Sheet: Am I Fulfilling My Promise to the Reader?

Question #1. What is my promise to the reader?

Every story is a kind of promise. Whether you’re giving a presentation, writing an email, delivering a speech, making an Instagram post — if you’re asking people to stick with you while you communicate with them, you’re asking them for some kind of commitment.

You’re promising them some kind of value in exchange for their time and attention.

That value may vary widely: it may be entertainment and humor, or something educational, or something emotionally transformative.

Whatever it may be, your story is a promise. A promise to take them from where they are now, to somewhere new.

With that in mind, your first editing question should be:

What am I promising the reader?

If you’re still not clear on what that promise is, give it some thought. This can take time, but it’s worth doing. Challenge yourself to get clear on what you hope they’ll take away from this interaction with you or your writing.

Tip: My free workbook Five Questions to Triple Your Story’s Impact can help you figure this out — access your free download here: camilledeputter.com/subscribe

Question #2: Have I communicated my promise early in the story?

While stories can take many forms, the classic advice on presenting holds up well: tell people what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them.

Think of yourself like a hiking guide. You don’t want to just chuck people into the woods with nothing but a compass. (Unless you’re running some kind of survivalist bootcamp.)

As a storyteller, it’s your job to help your reader envision, understand, and make sense of the journey they’re on.

So, consider:

What should they expect from reading your work or listening to you?

Will they learn how to do something?

Will they laugh?

Will they fix a particular problem they want to solve?

Will they feel inspired?

And so on. Tell them what to expect from you.

Question #3 Have I delivered on my promise?

The most important part of this whole equation is to deliver on your promise.

When you’re all done writing, review your story as a whole. Does it deliver?

Did they get what you promised?

Maybe this seems obvious but it’s amazing how often we can veer away from our original intention. This question allows you to make sure that you’re delivering the value you intended to provide.

To do this, put yourself in your reader’s shoes. Imagine reading what you wrote from their perspective.

Did they get what they came to you for?

Did they experience what you promised?

Did they feel what you wanted them to feel?

Did they learn what they came here to learn?

If not, you might do some further revisions to make sure the answer is YES!

Tip: Having someone else look at your work, such as a beta reader or writing partner, can be very valuable at this stage.

Bonus question: Have I helped the reader see the value they’ve received?

Whatever your reader’s experience, it can be helpful to help them see and celebrate the value they’ve received from your communications.

This might not work for all stories, but it can be a very useful question — especially for communications that are prescriptive, instructional, or educational in nature.

To make sure your reader fully “gets it”, there are a variety of tools you can use. For example:

• Recapping or summarizing what you’ve told them or what they’ve learned
• Acknowledging and celebrating their progress
• Sharing inspiring stories from people who’ve used the same communications tools they’re now using
• Showing them what next steps might look like

By using methods like these, you make sure you really deliver on your promise to the reader.

After all, it’s not enough for YOU to know what your promise is — they have to know it too.

Ready to put this into practice? Grab your free cheat sheet.

Hint: print out this pdf cheat sheet and stick it on your wall or keep it by your desk, so you remember to use it every time you publish something.

Get it here: camilledeputter.com/editingcheatsheet

So what do you think? Did I deliver on my promise in today's post? Was this helpful to you? Leave a comment and let me know.

Oh, and stay tuned for the next issue because I'm going to give you a free editorial calendar template that will help you write and publish consistently – so you can turn your great ideas into stories that resonate.