One of the hardest parts of editing is creating as much distance as possible between you as writer and you as editor. Here's a technique to more objectively illuminate what’s working and what's not.
Choose a manageable passage. Grab some highlighters or jot quick notes in the margins as you read through.
Use green to mark exposition—those sections where you’re filling in the story, delivering information, or world building.
If something unfolds through dialogue or quoted speech, hit it with blue.
For reflection — whether it’s a character’s thoughts, personal musings, or a section of analysis — yellow.
Use pink for action or movement — like a character making a dramatic exit, a sequence of events in narrative nonfiction, or steps in reported work.
Orange is for sensory detail and description.
The colors are not the point. Use whatever color you want! These are the highlighter colors I have. You may have others. It's ok, I promise.
Not sure what something is? Skip and come back.
A portion might fit into more than one category? Skip and come back.
After thorough analysis, if you really can't decide between categories, you can use multiple colors. But caution: make sure it honestly fits into multiples and you're not just wanting to be done with the exercise. (See instruction #1: choose a manageable passage.")
Once you’ve marked everything, take a step back.
Does your draft lean more on one element than another? Does that feel intentional? A dialogue-heavy piece might speed things up, while a reflection-driven essay might slow the pace and create space for insight.
Look at how these elements flow together — do shifts between narrative and reflection feel smooth, or are they creating awkward stops/starts like I did when I tried to learn how to drive a stick shift?
Don't worry: this process isn’t driving you toward balance. Instead, you'll get a close, objective look at whether your writing matches your intention.