Category Archives for Editing
Keep it Simple: How to Use Plain English to Improve Your Writing
We’ve seen it before. The beginning of a business prospectus that goes something like this:
No person has been authorized to give any information or make any representation herewith other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this joint proxy statement/prospectus. And if given or made, such information…
You’ve stopped reading, haven’t you?
What if I wrote:
You should only rely on the information contained in this document. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different.
You’re back…
Plain English in business writing is essential when you have a limited amount of time to engage your audience and convey a message. Plain English uses everyday words, short sentences, active voice, and personal pronouns that speak directly to your audience.
The principles sound simple, but it’s surprising how easily long-form copy can slide into the myrrh of plodding verbosity, forcing readers to cry out for something more palatable. I hear you!
What we are talking about when we use the term “plain English” is functional writing. Writing that is easy to digest, easy to translate, and free of jargon. Writing in plain English is not always as easy as it sounds, especially in the world of business where new catchcries and the latest trends can give us all a headache while we try and work out what is actually being said.
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6 Editing Mistakes To Avoid as a Professional Writer
Do you know that editing mistakes can make it tough for you to make a living from your writing?
Editing is a major part of the writing process because it can improve the quality of your writing to a level where you can easily attract, engage, and delight your target readers. You can self-edit your work or you can outsource this task to a professional editor or an editing agency.
For best results, you can use a combination of self-editing and outsourcing.
But there are some editing mistakes that not only waste your money, time, and energy but also defeat the main purpose of editing, making it extremely difficult for you to achieve your writing goals.
Curious to learn more so you can take proactive steps?
Then check out these six editing mistakes you need to avoid as a professional writer and entrepreneur.
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5 Types of Editing That Result in High Quality Writing
At last, your first draft is ready. And yet, you’re not happy with it. Something is still missing even after many rounds of self-editing, and you’re wondering what to do next.
Sound familiar? Most likely, you need the assistance of a professional editor.
Before you ask, editors normally review a draft with the aim of improving it, all without changing the voice of the writer. They provide professional editing services by going through the writing in a step-by-step manner to identify and correct mistakes and errors with grammar, word usage, structure, composition, readability, flow, style, tone, and so on.
But guess what?
Different types of editing can improve your writing in specific areas. As steps in the professional editing process, they’re supposed to be carried out in a specific order, one after the other. Some types of editing may also overlap with one another.
However, your writing may not require all the various types of editing. This depends on factors such as your level of expertise and experience as a writer, the type of writing you’re creating, and where it will be published.
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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: How To Use Edited-Out Text
Let’s face it, few authors are happy when text is edited out. Though they might recognize the need to remove it, and therefore be happy with the overall result, leaving text out feels like some sort of waste — a betrayal even.
“But I spent time writing this!” you’re telling yourself. “How can I let it go?”
In the context of editing, “kill your darlings” is apt advice. It indicates that editing should be approached as objectively as possible. However, what you rarely hear is that text is immortal. You can remove it from a certain post, novel, or essay, but that doesn’t mean the text is lost forever.
Text you had to let go during an editing round still exists and it’s still available to you.
In this post I’ll share with you five ways in which you can reuse text that was edited out. Doing that has two major benefits: Not only do you get to use your text somewhere else, where it’s better-suited, but it also makes the editing process smoother. It’s much easier to let go of text if you know that it’s not really gone.
Never refuse to reuse, as they say!
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