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...

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...

I was invited to write a guest blog for Anne Wayman of About Freelance Writing and am thrilled that my blog post is live today. Check it out here . It was a pleasure to work with Anne and write this post for her blog. It's all about how I started my online editing business and the unique things that led up to it and the launch of my editing website - editmaster.pro . A big thank you to Anne Wayman for the invitation! Happy Writing!

I often say everyone needs an editor. I thought I would elaborate on this idea for a few minutes. Needing an editor does not make you an idiot. Admitting you need an editor sets you apart. I can't tell you how many blog posts and articles I've read that needed editing. For me, it's rather distracting. I've come up with a few reasons editing is so necessary. 1. When we write, we are spelling out our passion. Whether it's a lifestyle blog or instructions on how to cook crickets, writers write with passion and passion often disregards grammar. Perhaps one could argue that the more mistakes you make while writing, the more passionate you are about your topic. 2. We often write how we think or talk. One universal thing I teach my writing students is not to write how they talk unless they are writing a novel with that required dialog. A common mistake I see on this one is, "I could of gone to town," which should read, "I could have gone to town....