Over the next few weeks, I'll be doing a series on my most common edits. There are a number of things consistently misused by people when they write and I think they are worth a look.  Are you making these mistakes when you write? The first and most common edit is "that."  Here's a good example: "I think that a good college education is important."                                         Here's a better way:                                               "I think a good college education is important."     Simply eliminating the word "that" removes clutter from this sentence, helping it flow better. Uncluttered writing is easier to read, has an effortless flow and keeps readers engaged. Readers grow weary...

Grammar and readability are not mutually exclusive to good SEO. I've recently read a few articles whose authors claim grammar is not a factor in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). However, I've read just as many articles which cite readability as a major factor for increasing SEO levels. You can't have one without the other. You can't have good readability and bad grammar. Good grammar is what makes readability exist....it's what causes your content to be easy to read. According to the Bedford Group , readability is defined as, "the practice of making your writing understandable and easy to digest for your target audience." (First of all, I would correct this to say, "the practice of making your writing understandable and easy for your target audience to digest," but I digress.) How do you make your writing understandable? How do you make your writing easy for your target audience to digest? Step one in answering these questions is goo...

When I started my professional editing services a few years ago, I never turned down a job. I found out the hard way that this wasn't a good long-term strategy. After working on anything and everything that came my way and never turning down a job, I realized some jobs held more stress and problems than they were worth. So, here's a brief list of jobs I turn down most of the time.  1. Most rush jobs. I do take a few rush jobs if they are reasonable. I did one just last week, in fact, but the buyer was reasonable and simply wanted a 500 word document edited within 8 hours. That was reasonable and it was a good experience. But, some rush jobs aren't worth it to me. When someone wanted a 1,400 word document done within the next 3 hours, but it was dinner time at my house, I turned them down because I didn't want to rush through dinner.  I don't work between 5 and 8 PM, so if someone needs work during that time, I turn them down every time. Family comes f...

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 ...

That. It's nearly an enemy to an editor. When we talk, we use "that" as a transition word to help us keep our thoughts flowing while we talk. It gives us a chance to pause and think while we are speaking. "That" keeps a listener engaged because it lends anticipation to our speech, whether used in a conversation or a formal speech. It's true for any level of speech and perfectly acceptable. The opposite is true when writing. "That" is by far the word I delete most often. It's totally unnecessary in most writings and should be eliminated 90% of the time. The remaining 10% tells you it shouldn't be completely eliminated from all writings. Using it sparingly is key. Here's a relevant example. In the sentence above, I said,  "The remaining 10% tells you it shouldn't be completely eliminated from all writings."  The vast majority of people would write,  "The remaining 10% tells you that it shouldn't...