Which is harder: Creating or Editing?

I think creating is the difficult part. You have to create original characters and scenes and the interactions between those for a creative writing. It seems very difficult, sometimes I run out of my creativity and it tries to turn into copying someone else. I have rethink and rearrange whole scenario as well as characters do that it new creation instead of rediscovering. Editing part is annoying, but mostly built in facilities in word processing soft wares helps me a lot in editing the created articale. But overall the process is not that easy. It needs lots of time, patience and effort to suceed in creative writing.

I have different trouble depending on which project I am working on. As far as creating is concerned, I don't have any trouble getting ideas but I have trouble finishing. I have about a thousand projects, not kidding, that need editing into final form.

Creating is the winner for me. I have such a hard time with that! I can edit it and add the words and all the extras so well, but getting the first thought down...kills me! Writers Block seems to like me so much! I can't get rid of that annoyance!!!

I'm not a professional writer, but when I do write I use a word processor with the spell and grammar checks turned on. That's the extent of my editing. Like you when I try to edit, it all goes flat. I usually write something and let it sit for a day or two and sometimes I have something to add, or can rephrase something, but I do have to be careful not to change the "flavor" of the article.

It would seem that I am the odd duck in this conversation. I love creating and I love editing. I am always picking books that I read apart and I'm amazed at the mistakes that I find in books and then wonder how those mistakes got past the publishing house editors. These are books by well-known authors, too. I love the creative process but the editor in me tends to balance the creator and I edit as I go. I just can't create if I know there's a mistake there and I have to fix it before I go on. I know, I'll help all of you guys by editing your work. LOL. I really do wish you all luck and if I could be of any help, let me know.

I have worked as a proofreader as well as a writer in an online publishing company. I wasn't able to exercise much editing muscle there, as we adhere to a strict structure. However, to answer your question: creating is harder than editing. I understand your concerns about sucking the power and life out of the work when you're editing. My suggestion to you is that you develop a sense of what feeling you want to put forth in your writing. When you're writing, just let it flow naturally. Just write and write. That's the hard part: coming up with the words to express your mind. Now, when you edit, read through your abstract and try to get the feeling of the writing. If there's a part that does not otherwise give the feeling that you want, that's where you edit and tinker with the content. Editing does not necessarily take the life out of your work. You just need to develop a feel for the moment in your story. That's my two cents. Keep on writing and enjoy it. :-)

Oh, I can't stand editing! I have a novel complete (actually 2) and it is in the 7th edit. I am so fed up with editing that I haven't looked at that novel in months. I just want it to be done. Actually, I thought it was done until an agent I met told me it was too short and I should expand on the characters. Ugh! More editing. There are way too many distractions to keep me from doing that dreaded job. I love the creating part. It really comes easy for me. I've been storytelling for a long time and hope to continue to do so for years to come.

Editing is the hardest and least favorite part of the entire creative process to me. I'm not bad at it either, and while it's not so much a lack of self confidence as it used to be...it's just that it's...difficult to get through, combing through every individual line is so painfully slow in comparison to creating a story (which can be fairly quickly for me, as an editor I used to have once told me..I'm pretty quick for a writer)...and then there's the worry about messing something up which is tempered by the worry that something's not good and not catching it to fix it lol. It always turns out just fine, but I drag my feet to do it always.

I can write very quickly, and I spend much more time in editing and rewriting, until I feel completely satisfied with the quality of my prose. My first draft will always have some incorrect spelling, poor sentence structure and bad punctuation. I know my writing can always be improved. I have previously worked in publishing, and I've been trained in proofreading and editing, but that was when it was a paper and pencil job, not an onscreen task. I just love how easy it is now to edit my words. I can delete, insert, and replace words, rearrange sentences and paragraphs, and correct any errors, without having to retype the whole page! Sometimes I think I do over-edit and I can end up losing the initial vitality of the piece. I know magazine and book publisher have their own proofreaders and editors to check and correct errors, but personally I want to submit work that shows a professional attitude. I take pride in how I present my work, and I know it could be rejected if I submit sloppy writing that has not been finely tuned.

I'm really not a good editor. I don't like editing. For me, it's the creating part that comes more easily for me. Creativity comes naturally to me. Editing just doesn't for some reason.