Revising and Editing
People breathe a sigh of relief when they’re finally finished writing something, even if they enjoyed writing it. Breathe away, but that’s not the end of it. Professional writers will tell you that revising and editing can often take longer than writing the original draft. While you may not be trying for professional, revising and editing should take at least one-third of the total writing time. The first draft is just a matter of laying the ground-work; any further drafts are a matter of making your writing strong and crystal clear.
The first thing you need to do is take a break from your writing; allow at least an hour for your mind to distance itself from the words. After you’ve refreshed yourself, go through your writing and look for errors which you commonly make, and then go through it looking for all the other possible errors. Reading the text aloud may help you find the things that just don’t work. Getting a second opinion (paying a professional proofreader, trading with a classmate, or bribing a friend with appropriate quantities of chocolate) is also invaluable.