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 edit myself while I write, but I always edit twice before submitting anything I write to anyone, whether it's a blog post, a social media update or an email.

Write often.

Write well.

Just write.

~Tricia

Comments

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

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