Pay Attention, Save Money

It's a well-known fact that no one can fully edit their own work. As I teach writing and advise my students, I always recommend hiring an independent editor, especially if not working with a publishing house. Many of my students have chosen e-publishing and independent editors are a must for any e-publisher. But, many people avoid hiring independent editors due to the cost involved. Their work, along with their credibility as a writer, suffers as a result.

PAY ATTENTION
But, there are some ways you can save money on editing. The number one way is to pay attention to your word processor. Modern word processing programs all have built-in grammar and spelling alerts. Paying attention to them and using them will save you money on editing costs. Why pay an editor to do what a word processor will do automatically? All you have to do is pay attention. For example, when Word puts a green squiggly line under a word or sentence, pay attention. It's highly likely your grammar is off. When you see a red squiggly line, you have a misspelled word. Even Blogger does this now! Get to know your word processor and all its features, and use them.

BARTER
Another way to save money on editing is to think outside the box. I've made bartering deals with people who needed my editing services. That's an option for you, too.

EDIT BEFORE HIRING EDITING
Edit before you hire an editor. Let your work sit for a few days, go back to it and read it through with a critical eye, editing along the way. Do as much as you can before you hire the rest out. Read your work out loud to yourself as this gives you a new perspective and allows you to see what you might not see otherwise.

Pay attention.
Barter.
Edit before hiring editing.
Save money.

~Tricia

Comments

My Top Five Editing Tips

In my e-book, Writing for Publication , I list my top five editing tips. If you have not read the book and you want to earn money writing, read the book today. It's available on Amazon, here , and on Fiverr, here . Editing is vital to writing success, but I do understand that not everyone can afford to hire an editor; some have to edit their own work. I never recommend this, but I know finances require it at times. Here are my top five editing tips: Get rid of "that" whenever you can Use both "very" and "really" in a very limited way. Really. Be careful of repetition. Don't repeat yourself repeatedly. Keep your tense consistent. Don't start a sentence or paragraph in past tense, then time travel to the present tense by the end. Do not write the same way you talk. These tips will help you a great deal. Memorize them and learn to mentally use them as you write or as you review your writing. I tend to e...

Top Ten Most Common Edits - 2

My #2 most common edit is "toward." The vast majority of my clients use "towards" instead of "toward," as in, "Walking towards the entrance..." I correct this every time because in the US, where we use what is commonly called American English, the preferred choice is "toward," as in single. "Towards" is more commonly used in UK English and Australian English, as noted on Grammarly . In the USA, it's best to say, "Walking toward the entrance...." So, while "towards" is acceptable in other countries, for the US and Canada, "toward" is a much better choice. Keep moving toward good grammar! Write well. Write often. Just write. ~Tricia

Editing Hurts

Editing hurts. Yes. It hurts when someone cuts your words, rearranges your sentences, deletes your creative use of language, etc. It hurts. The first thing a writer has to do is leave their ego at the door. Most writers write with passion and passion doesn't always reflect good grammar or proper use of punctuation. I recently edited for the CEO of a large corporation. She was taken aback by my edits and questioned if she wanted someone cutting her writing up like I did. But, while she might be a great CEO, her grammar, word choices and sentence structure were lacking. Most people, when writing with passion, give little thought to how their words are put together. The words spill out with feeling while grammar is laid aside. And that's ok. That's actually how it should be. We should write with passion.....then hire a good editor to make our points flow well and be cohesive. We editors make your passion shine by clothing your writing in easy-to-read prose with good ...

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