3 Self-Editing Tips for Normal People

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No tedious grammar rules here! Just helpful advice from one self-editor to another.

Give Yourself the Chance to Shift Gears

Editing is hard, but it’s even harder if you are still in creative mode. After you write a draft, put it down and take a break. Come back later when you’re geared up to start revising. Because writing and editing are two distinct jobs that require completely different skill sets, most people become frustrated easily when they begin editing too soon. The more you practice, the more quickly you’ll be able to shift from writing tasks to editing tasks.

Don’t Edit the Way You Write

At the very least change how you view your writing from drafting stage to proofing stage. If you write in a web-integrated text editor, do your editing by reading in preview mode. If you crafted a rough draft in a word processor, print out a hard copy to check for mistakes. If you don’t, your eyes and brain will be all “Hey, we’ve seen this before. Next!”

Read Your Draft Out Loud

Reading your stuff out loud to yourself might be a little embarrassing. However, I’m pretty sure it’s less embarrassing than having an important business document go out with careless typos. Reading forces you to slow down, making it easier to catch those goofy mistakes. It will also help you find overused words and clumsy sentences.

Photo credit: clarita from morguefile.com