Writing Tips: How to Edit Your Writing

Are you a freelance writer seeking professional, editing tips? You may be your own best editor. Every writer needs to learn how to edit his or her own writing, particularly freelance writers intending to sell or market articles or publish them on the Internet. Academics need excellent editing skills, as well.

Editing a piece of writing is like refining crude oil to make it into a marketable product.

Consider the following tips on professional editing.

Edit your title:

Your title should always reflect your topic as accurately as possible. Keep it brief, to the point and intriguing enough to entice your reader. “How to refine crude oil” would be a marketable title. Does it contain White Hat SEO key words that a spider or a crawler on an Internet search engine would be able to find? Yes.

Be topic specific in your introduction:

Introduce your topic in the introduction to your article, immediately. Explain what your article is about in the first few lines. Your introduction should concise, informative and accurate. For example, introduce your topic by stating that your article will explain how to refine crude oil and the various stages of the refinement process.

Edit your introduction carefully, removing unnecessary information that is not topic specific. Re-read what you have written and ask yourself, if it is really on topic. If it is not, do a rewrite of your introduction before you continue, (or later if you become aware of problems with it).

Expand upon the introduction to your article only to the extent necessary to convey the topic you are introducing.

Write knowledge-based articles:

Is what you have written in the body of your article, truly knowledge-based? Readers read out of interest and seek to increase their knowledge, as well as to enhance their own thoughts and ideas. If you are merely rambling on about something, do serious research. Base what you are writing on well-related, factual knowledge. Make certain that you document your sources well in order to avoid plagiarism. Inter-linking your article with other data may be beneficial.

Use first, second and third person pronouns correctly:

The use of pronouns reveals the perspective of the writer. The word ‘I’ is subjective and limits the reader’s experience to yours. ‘You’ opens the horizon for the reader, but does not allow him or her to have a ‘bird’s eye’ view. Some readers do not like reading anything that orders them to do something, so be careful with your wording. Edit your article, allowing the broadest possible perspective for your reader.    

Use appropriate language and vocabulary:

Re-read what you have written slowly and carefully, editing out inappropriate language and vocabulary. Read each sentence individually and then, each paragraph, removing anything that may be politically or socially offensive. Omit words that are repetitive, redundant and non-essential.

Learn to edit as you write. Are you using the right words or too many words? Ask yourself, how many words does it take to say what you want to state? How many times do you really need to repeat the same thing? Once is usually enough.

Be aware when you think something is funny or cute, your reader may not perceive it the same way. If you are doing creative writing in the humor genre, state that in some way, so what you write is not misinterpreted.

Is the body of your article interesting, accurate and in formative?

You can be your own best critic, continually editing the body of your work as you write. If the body of your article proves to be interesting, accurate and informative, your reader will likely read on. If not, you may lose him or her immediately, as well as your readership as a whole. Your article may need further editing with respect to excessive mega-content, later.

Remember that you can, but may not always be your own best editor. Does your article make sense? Does it read well? If not, get a fresh perspective on it by having someone else read it and discuss it with you.

Organize your article:

While you are writing and simultaneously editing your article, make certain your information or data is well organized. It should be chronologically accurate. Is your sequence of events correct? Do the events that you have written about relate properly to one another or are you listing unrelated descriptions of people, places and things?  When necessary, add a few sentences or paragraphs to tie things together. You can always do a re-write and further editing later, if necessary.

Edit for possible errors:

Editing for spelling mistakes with a spell-checking device is a good idea before submitting anything for publication. If you are uncertain about the use of specific terms, vocabulary or spelling, do a quick check on Google or another search engine. Make certain that your grammar and sentence structure is appropriate for what you are saying and that your punctuation is correct. Check your dialogue and make certain that it makes sense.     

Use examples:

When you have difficulty explaining something, use specific examples to clarify what you are attempting to state. Keep them simple and easy to understand, so that anyone around the globe can comprehend what you are saying.

Invite someone else to proof read your writing:

Not everyone takes the criticism of others easily. Having someone else proof read your work on a regular basis, will help you to edit your work later. For instance, someone else may be able to show you what writing patterns you exhibit in your writing. Are they appropriate? Were you aware of them? What could be different in terms of enhancing your writing?

Remember that writing is a growing process and every writer can improve upon his or her work. Freelancers who network together help one another with editing.

Re-write when necessary:

If there are major problems with your writing, re-writing may appear to be time consuming, but the effort is worthwhile. Are you using words and phrases that others may not understand? Is your work appropriate for its intended readership? Remember that only five percent of your readers are academics and writing for the masses may be your forte. Academics write appropriately for an academic readership.

Proof read the writing of others:

If you take the time to proof read the writing of others, you may find that your own writing is far better than you realize. You will be able to pick out some of the typical writing errors that are immediately visible in their work and avoid repeating them in your own writing.

Remember that writing is a process, one that continues to grow as you seek to improve your writing and editing skills and to expand your knowledge base.

For anyone interested in more serious editing, the Writing Center offers more helpful thoughts and ideas.