Permanent Retrograde

Permanent Retrograde

How To Edit Like A Pro: 6 Rules That Stop Editors and Producers From Ruining Your Vision.

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Kelly Oxford
Sep 15, 2025
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Editing, it’s not about making your work perfect. It’s about making it bulletproof. Because once you hand your baby over to someone else, they’re going to change things. And if you can’t defend your choices, if you can’t explain why that weird metaphor belongs there or why that scene needs to happen exactly where it is, they’ll want to cut it without blinking.

Papers, pens, and highlighters are laid out for studying.
Photo by sara sanchez sabogal

These six rules aren’t about grammar or spelling. They’re about protecting your voice while making your work so tight that when someone tries to mess with it, you can look them in the eye and say, “Touch that paragraph and you’ll ruin the whole thing.”

The difference between writers who get their vision butchered and writers who maintain creative control? They know how to edit strategically before anyone else gets their hands on the manuscript.

Want to know the six rules I’ve followed that keep your writing voice intact while making producers and editors actually respect your choices?

The techniques that separate amateur writers from professionals who get to keep their artistic vision?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Here they are:

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