Writing vs. Editing vs. Revising

The other day I was giving comments on a job application cover letter written by a friend of mine. It was a solid letter to begin with, discussing her research interests, teaching experiences, and intellectual trajectories.

What I ended up doing to it, though, was not only giving it comments, but also EDITING it to smithereens. I mean, cutting words here, moving things there, combining paragraphs everywhere, etc., etc. I took a step back after I was done and was like, "Shit, that is a great letter." (Maybe my friend prefers the original, but.)

One thing I've known for some time is that I'm a much better editor than I am a writer. So I love editing what other people have written (and also, I guess, what I've written), but it's so painful for me to write that first draft. And even though I enjoy revising a lot better than I do writing (once I have that first draft), I still end up doing a lot more nitpicky editing than actual, substantive revising.

Help. I don't think people make it as academics being mere editors of their own work. Research, write, revise...but so little emphasis on editing. I know editing is important—but how can I get some balance here?!