Do you want to speed up your writing process without compromising on quality? There are a variety of tips to achieve this, but many experts believe that one of the best strategies is to separate the drafting, editing, and proofreading steps.
Before we explain in detail why this approach is worth considering, let’s take a quick look at the main stages of writing after preliminary research.
| DRAFTING |
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| EDITING |
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| PROOFREADING |
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Separating drafting, editing, and proofreading
Now let’s discuss why it’s important to separate the drafting, editing, and proofreading steps of the writing process, rather than trying to do all of them at the same time.
The short answer is that each phase requires a unique approach, level of focus, and headspace. Trying to combine or switch between them can distract you, overwhelm you, drain your energy, slow you down, reduce your efficiency, and result in low-quality content.
Here is the longer answer to the question of why it is better to draft, edit, and proofread separately:
1- Drafting focuses on ideas
The drafting stage is about putting your thoughts into words, whether you are writing creative content or developing an academic argument. The more you allow yourself to express your ideas and organise your content without judging yourself, interrupting your thought process, and worrying about accuracy or refinement, the more solid your draft will be. Also, you could make significant changes to your draft later, which would make all the premature editing and proofreading pointless.
2- Editing improves and clarifies
In the editing phase, you improve elements such as the structure, coherence, and tone of your draft. In professional and academic contexts, this may mean making sure your arguments are well-supported, logical, and in the right order, while in creative work you might focus on improving flow and engagement. Editing allows you to focus on analysis and refinement, making your content easy to read and understand, rather than getting bogged down too early in sentence-level adjustments.
3- Proofreading puts the finishing touches
Proofreading is all about attention to detail to ensure that the final text is free from errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting. Whether you’re preparing a technical report or a short story, this step polishes the work and shows additional respect for the reader. If you try to proofread prematurely, you’ll waste time on revisions that may become irrelevant after editing. If you proofread while editing, you may also overlook errors or inconsistencies, as proofreading requires more attention.
Each phase builds on the previous one
Splitting up the phases makes each phase more efficient. A thorough draft makes editing easier, while careful editing reduces the amount of proofreading required. This structured approach ensures that each step contributes to a polished and professional final product in terms of content and form, regardless of the writing context.
Finding the right headspace for each phase
Each of the main stages of writing requires unique headspace—creative for drafting, critical for editing, and detail-oriented for proofreading. By treating them as separate and distinct steps, you can approach each phase with a fresh eye and dedicated focus, which can lead to better quality content.
Individual preferences and circumstances
While it is advisable to make a clear distinction between drafting, editing, and proofreading, individual preferences, needs, and circumstances as well as the writing context may vary and should be taken into account.
Some benefit from this method, while others may find a hybrid approach, such as light proofreading during editing, more effective. The key is to create quality content through an optimised writing process that works for you.
See also: How to write a research paper in two weekends
Tips for separating drafting, editing, and proofreading
Given the different nature and requirements of each stage of the writing process, you can consider the following tips if you want to separate these steps and adapt them to your particular situation:
1- Set clear limits for each phase
Set specific blocks of time for writing, editing, and proofreading and use a timer to focus on each stage. Imagine, for example, that you are writing a short text. You can set a timer for 25 minutes to focus on the draft without interruption and then take a short break before moving on to the next phase.
2- Create separate workspaces
If possible, work in a different environment for each phase. A change of scenery can signal to your brain that it’s time to shift gears so you can adjust your headspace for each stage.
3- Take breaks between phases
Take a break after each step before moving on to the next. This allows you to return to your work with a fresh mind, which is particularly helpful for spotting errors or improving clarity.
4- Use the right tools
While the abundance of multipurpose tools has had a positive impact on various aspects of our work, sometimes their disadvantages outweigh their benefits if they are not used in the right context and at the right time.
For example, while ChatGPT can certainly add value to the writing process, its conversational nature makes it easy to switch back and forth between researching, drafting, editing, and proofreading, which can negatively impact the speed, efficiency, and quality of your workflow.It may therefore be better to use dedicated tools for each phase, depending on their focus and strength.
See also: ChatGPT vs. InstaText vs. Grammarly: Why they are NOT the same for writing
Why InstaText is ideal for editing
InstaText was developed as an advanced editing assistant for academics, writers, business professionals, and everyday users. It improves texts by enhancing clarity, readability, flow, structure, style, tone, conciseness, word choice, and more through suggestions for in-depth editing that you can accept or reject.
See also: Why we call instaText an ‘editing assistant’
With the InstaText browser extension, you can edit your text directly and seamlessly wherever you are writing, such as in Google Docs, without interrupting the editing process to switch tabs or copy and paste your text. You can also use it as a Word add-in.
And InstaText’s minimalist design and few, carefully selected features allow you to minimise distraction while editing. Plus, you will not be overwhelmed with multiple suggestions for each part of the text, so you can make high-quality edits without increasing your mental load.
Additionally, InstaText’s edits are not AI-generated, as it uses advanced language technologies, but not generative AI. This makes it ideal for editing content in contexts where the use of generative AI is prohibited or restricted, such as academic texts.
Level up your editing with InstaText
Looking to make your editing process faster and more efficient? If you haven’t tried InstaText yet, now is the perfect time to start. Already using it? Check out the latest features that will make your editing even more efficient.
| Feature/Aspect | ChatGPT | InstaText | Grammarly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool type | Drafting assistant | Editing assistant | Writing assistant |
| Primary use | Idea generation, drafting | Editing, proofreading | Proofreading |
| Best stage | Drafting | Editing | Proofreading |
| Editing depth | General suggestions | Deep editing (error corrections + clarity, readability, and style improvement) | Error corrections (grammar, punctuation, tone, conciseness) |
| Retaining writer’s voice | May dilute original tone | Maintains and enhances writer’s tone and style | Maintains tone but focuses more on correctness |
| Content considered AI-generated | Yes | No (fully respects writer’s authorship) | Yes, if used extensively for content generation |
| Suitable for publication where AI-generated content is restricted/not allowed | No | Yes (scientific and non-scientific) | No, if used extensively for content generation |
| Best for | General users, content creators, marketers, freelancers | Academics, professionals, journalists, editors, students, general users, copywriters, and content creators | General users, businesses, students, professionals, copywriters, and content creators |
| Real-time suggestions | Yes (conversational) | Yes (real-time improvements in editing stage) | Yes (mainly for grammar, tone, and clarity) |
| Customization options | Yes (primarily prompt-based) | Yes (personal dictionary, tone, dialect, etc.) | Yes (tone, dialect, etc.) |
| Platform compatibility | Web-based, integrated via API | Web-based, browser extensions, multiple applications (Gmail, Google Docs, Word, etc.) | Web-based, browser extensions, multiple applications (Gmail, Slack, Google Docs, Word, etc.) |
| Privacy | Stores processed texts (with privacy options) | Never stores processed texts | Stores processed texts (with deletion options) |
| Free & paid membership | Yes | Yes | Yes |
“Of course, there’s Grammarly, a writing assistant that checks the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity of your writing, corrects common errors, and occasionally gives you suggestions for rewording. The thing about Grammarly, though, is that it’s a good proofreader, but not an editor. And, as any skilled writer will be happy to tell you, the editing is the secret.”
— Jim Stonos, Writer and Editor
“This tool is outstanding, exceeded my expectations. I’m used to using Grammarly but InstaText is a more thorough tool and comes up with much better suggestions for rewrites. A game changer for editing.”
— Stephan Skovlund, Business Consultant
“I am a translator and proofreader by profession and have tried many editing tools. It’s not an exaggeration to say that all the other apps I’ve used so far don’t come close to InstaText. It is literally innovative and revolutionary and has taken the editing game to a new level, leaving other competitors in the dust.”
— Dr. Ghodrat Hassani, Researcher in Translation Studies
