Editing Archives - Page 7 of 8 - Craft Your Content

Category Archives for Editing

Lincoln Never Said That! (Or Why You Should Research Quotes Before Sharing)

Having an online presence—and a social media account—is a must nowadays, especially if you’re running a business. The internet expands your reach, widens your market, and makes it possible for you to communicate with people around the world in just a matter of minutes.

One of the strategies highly recommended by online marketers and social media experts (e.g., Social Media Examiner, Search Engine Journal) to increase social media followers is quote sharing. You’ve probably seen how effective it is, at least in terms of getting shared, based on how many quotes you see daily on your feed.Continue reading

The Best Proofreading Services You Can Find Online – The Good, the Bad, and the WTAF

I’ve been writing for several years now, but apart from a few major publications, I have rarely interacted with an editorial team or proofreading service.

What being published mistakenly taught me was that my writing skills were far superior than they actually are, and that there are a lot of websites releasing sub par material for convenience’s sake.

Until my collaboration with the Craft Your Content team, I assumed that a second readthrough of my material was all it needed before it was ready for publication. Even as I type this, I know that the editing team is shaking their heads in disgust…and I’m okay with that, because now I’ve seen the light. (Editor’s Note – We rarely shake our heads in disgust!)

Working with a legit editorial team has helped me improve my writing tenfold (though I still have a ways to go), and taught me that content isn’t ready for publication until it’s been picked over with a fine-tooth comb.

Unfortunately, not all of us can afford a fancy editorial team. However, there are several free (or affordably-priced), online proofreading services that you can take advantage of.

In order to find the gold standard in editing services, I took a recently published article of mine and submitted an excerpt of it to some of the most common proofreading channels. You will be able to see how each tool rates my copy with a series of screenshots, and from there, you can be the judge.

Ready to see my work get torn apart? Let’s do this!Continue reading

How Editing Makes Your Writing Better

Write, write, write.

How many times have you been told that, to become a writer, you just have to write?

It’s true, of course. Your primary task as a writer is to put pen to paper, so to speak. Sit down and write, and that’s it. Write consistently, write every day. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 500 words a day, or 800, or 1,000; the important thing is to sit down and firm up your ideas by putting them down to paper (or Word file).

Once you’re done writing, once you have written the final word and are satisfied that nothing else follows, you can heave a sigh of relief that your book is finally finished. It’s out of your head and ready for everyone to see and read.

Do you then consider your job done, and send  the manuscript off to your publisher?

No, no, no.Continue reading

Sad Comma Is Sad: End Comma Abuse Now!

“Do I… put a comma here? Did I do it before? No, wait, crap.”

Odds are, someone somewhere is looking over a piece of writing and wondering about the mystery of commas. Or wishing they could kill them with fire.

People tend to misuse commas the way they misuse body spray: it’s either too much or not enough. Worse still, people tend to notice both, and their first reaction is to get away from the offending party as soon as possible, even if said party is the nicest person or has the most well-crafted argument on the planet.

But when something stinks, it stinks, and nothing short of a purge–of either the showering or editing variety–can salvage the situation.Continue reading