Editing – A Writer’s Tool of Perfection

Attention writers – It’s time to go beyond the nexus of ideas, the web of words and break through the barrier of bias. Confused? What we mean is simply start editing and create that flawless piece of work which gets tweeted, shared and posted all around.

Editing doesn’t get the credit it deserves and many writers seem to share a love-hate relationship with their editors. Well it’s human nature to crib when you’re downgraded or criticized mercilessly by others. Love it or hate it, editing is vital and writers can’t do without it. So the best thing would be to light your own fire and get those glasses on to separate the grain from the chaff, as they say.

In other words, edit your work yourself!

How to proceed with editing?

Grammar – No matter how many goals a goalkeeper saves, people will always remember the ones he missed. There is no room for grammar mistakes for a writer. Go through your copy at least once to remove all the errors before you make it live.

Spell Check – It is important to do a spell-check to correct the typos and wrong spellings which your machine may have missed.

Sharpen the idea – When editing, shorten the sentences and clear the dust around the main idea. Remember writers are allowed to sway but not editors, therefore stick to the point.

Simplify words – Unless it’s about  how to propel a rocket into orbit that you’re writing on, use words and sentences that readers can understand.

Structuring – Give a structure to your writing. Structure is important. When editing, divide your copy into relevant paragraphs and give spaces. This makes your copy look better.

Formating – Have you italicized the important words and separated all the clauses with comas? While editing insert punctuations, bullets, bold and italicized words, wherever necessary.

No one will ever complain when you have made something more readable and easier to understand.

Let us know what is your editing mantra or how you slice and dice your copy to get that perfect piece out there to be enjoyed. If you don’t have one then try this and share your experience.

Happy Editing!