Editing … Scmediting

Good writing, even the best writing requires editing. Whether you are writing ad copy, a book, or a white paper for your business editing is critical to the success of your work. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to properly edit your own work – isn’t that why we hire a professional to do it? There are few things you can do to self-edit and help cut down the cost of your editing budget for your next project.

The most common writing mistakes authors make are:
•    Repetition
•    Poor content organization
•    Repetition
•    Extra spacing
•    Repetition

The most common mistake is repeating the same event or fact over and over and over… throughout the manuscript. Essentially the author is beating a dead horse! Nothing turns off a potential client more than taxidermy projects in the lobby. Editing what goes before your client base or your potential customers is a critical step in the process.

Lack of organization and repetition usually happens when the author concentrates on grammar and fails to examine the document for cohesiveness as a whole. Have you ever had to sit down and listen to your dad go on and on with his old army stories and felt that he would never get to the point before you lost your sanity? A paper with content that is redundant or disorganized is like following one of dear old dad’s rambling narrations.

Repetition as a technique has its place in writing when done effectively. The key is making sure the flow is not disrupted for the entire work and that the repetition has a point. The trick is writing the entire piece so that it moves at a reasonable pace and making the reader stay engaged.

The nit-noid editing for spacing, capitalization, and usage is just a matter of training your eye to seek out the errors. Reading a paragraph word by word backwards will often identify all kinds of typos to the casual editor. Spacing can be corrected using word processing tools like “replace.” A few of the other annoying parts to examine are:

•    Font and type size
•    Margins
•    Headers and Footers if required
•    Table of Contents and Header Consistency
•    Spell check
•    Content for missing paragraphs, sections, etc

With patience and plodding thoroughness you can make your way through the document with confidence. A little more work on the front end of the project will get your work into your audience’s hands faster.

Story telling is a good way to keep the reader hooked on the material so they will continue reading; however, make sure your stories have a point. For every story make a point and for every point have an illustrative story. When looking at your work with an editor’s eye look for the way the words and the story work together. Learn everything you need to know about how to write to be read.

Writing to be read means thinking like the reader. Speak to the reader in a way that is appealing and engaging and appeals to them on an emotional level. Use varied sentence lengths but avoid constructs that are really complex to follow. Make your point quickly to keep the content moving. Avoid excessive use of adverbs, passive voice, and other empty words that add nothing to the overall content.

You may craft some really cool sentences that you have to part with in the interest of good fast moving content. Good editing makes the work more effective and more likely to make you look like the content genius you are!

Small Business Marketing Toolkits
Small Business Marketing Consulting for Seattle, Bellevue and the World
Local Search, Business Profiles, SEO, Keyword Research and Social Media