So I do a lot of editing as I write, as it happens. If I am writing longhand, my notebook is full of little asterisks indicating things I need to add and arrows pointing around the page for sequence. When I am typing—transcribing or typing direct—I move things around, remove superfluities when I find them, and neaten and tighten the prose.

(I once tried to follow that advice about not editing as you draft because that is How Real Writers Do, and it broke my ability to compose for like six months. The moral of the story is that whatever works for you is the thing you should do, and while it’s great to try new things, never listen to anybody who tells you how Real Writers Do.)

Anyway, one of the things I’m doing while I’m fussing stuff around is making sure my line of direction is smooth. In other word, that I am leading the reader through the story in the order that things happen, without unnecessary hopping back and forth. Hopping back and forth confuses the reader and costs them attention, making it harder for them to immerse themselves in the so-called “fictional dream.”

The more immersed they are, the less likely they are to go play Zelda.