Editing is Key Lesson 14

Editing When a writer creates a story it is always a common staple in the work process to edit ones work. Editing means that the writer fixes his/her work, he/she changes a few things in the story that help organize its structure.

How Editing Helps a Writer It corrects misspelled words It checks for grammatical errors It helps remove clutter It makes the story look more professional It improves the quality of the work

How to Start Editing Do not write and edit at the same time Editing a simple typographical error while writing is ok some writers cannot help it. As much as possible it is not advisable for writers to write and edit at the same time. Take a break It is advisable for a writer to take a break before editing his/her work. By taking a break the writer refreshes his/her mind helping him/her to edit the work better.

How to Start Editing Try to see the story in a different format If the work is being seen from a computer screen you can try to print it out to get a new perspective. Start going through the content or structure first By seeing the bigger picture first and correcting it the rest of the parts will be easier to correct.

How to Start Editing Try not to overwrite A writer must try to remove some of the words he/she used in the story, like words that are used too much should be removed so as unnecessary adjectives and the like. Check for typographical errors Writers should use their own eyes to look for misspelled words. And it doesn’t hurt to use spell check as well.

How to Start Editing Try to Read the story slowly By trying to read the work slowly the writer can go through the piece better surely. When you’re done, you’re done When the writers don’t have anything to edit anymore then that means the work is done.

Common Problems with Editing Sticking to the idea that you love Clouded with thoughts Not reading out loud Forgetting to re-outline Relying on spell check too much