By Sabyasachi Roy
Imagine you are writing a draft. Putting your thoughts out into the world. Raw and unfiltered—a little messy, slightly little chaotic, but undeniably yours. Now comes editing, and this is where the real magic happens. Or, let’s be honest, this is where your manuscript risks turning into a lifeless, over-polished chore. How do you clean up the mess without scrubbing away the charm?
Preserving your voice during revision isn’t just about saving your favorite phrases or keeping every whimsical aside (though I get it, those are hard to let go). It’s about holding onto the thing that makes your writing unmistakably you, even as you’re ruthlessly tightening sentences and questioning every adjective.
The Balance Between Revision and Authenticity
Here’s the deal: good editing points out the flaws, just like a friend who tells you when you’ve got spinach in your teeth, but it doesn’t try to change who you are. Bad editing, on the other hand, feels like that same friend telling you to swap your favorite sweater for something “more appropriate.” The trick is knowing where to draw the line.
Start with your purpose and ask yourself, “What am I really trying to say here?” If the edits support your message and make your writing clearer, keep them. If they start veering into “let’s sound smart for the sake of it” territory, pause. Authenticity means standing your ground when something feels off, even if it looks shiny and “correct.”
Personal note: I once gutted an essay to make it more academic. Guess what? It got published, but when I reread it later, it felt like someone else wrote it. Lesson learned—your unique quirks are what make readers care.
Emotional Resonance: The Heartbeat of Your Voice
Readers connect to writing that feels alive. If you are planning to strip away too much, you are actually risking creating something technically perfect but emotionally hollow. This becomes more like a beautiful house that no one wants to live in.
So, when revising, the catch is to pay attention to what made you excited to write this piece in the first place. Was it a particular image? A clever turn of phrase? An argument you just had to make? Hold onto that. Build your edits around those moments like a scaffold.
I will give you a tip here: read your work aloud. Yeah, I know, you might feel a little ridiculous talking to yourself, but it works. If something sounds stiff or robotic, it’s probably messing with your voice. The rhythm of your words should feel natural, not like you’re auditioning for an audiobook on advanced quantum theory.
Keeping Your Style Uniquely Yours
Style is about how you say what you want to say, and not just what you say. There are minimalist writers who carve out meaning with a few precise words. Others are maximalists, throwing in every metaphor they can think of. Whatever your style, it’s yours—don’t let editing flatten it into bland uniformity.
When a suggested edit makes you cringe, listen to that instinct. It’s usually a sign you’re being nudged toward something that doesn’t fit your voice. Be willing to negotiate with your editor (or your inner critic). Ask, “Does this change really improve the piece, or is it just different?”
Also, let’s not pretend every rule of writing is gospel. If your voice thrives on fragments, slang, or bending grammar, go for it. Clarity matters, sure, but so does character. Nobody’s reading your novel or essay for textbook-perfect sentence structure.
The Bottom Line
Editing and revision are essential—no arguments there. But don’t let them bulldoze your unique perspective. Stay true to your core message, protect your emotional resonance, and let your quirks shine. And if anyone tells you to tone it down? Smile, nod, and then go back to being your unfiltered self. Writing is personal, and your voice is your signature. Please don’t lose it in the quest for perfection.
Sabyasachi Roy is primarily a Bengali poet from West Bengal, India. Writes in English from time to time. His poetry has been published in Stand, Poetry Salzburg Review, FourWsixteen, Linq, Quintessence, Voicesnet, Dicey Brown, Mindfire Renewed, The Potomac, 13th Warrior, and several print and online magazines.
