The Top 3 Strategies to Use When You Can’t Afford an Editor
Gamechangers for your writing
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash
Each of us writes for a reason. Some of us want to quit our day jobs and earn our livelihood writing; for others, it’s a source of additional income in uncertain times; and for some it’s part of the job — reports, proposals, emails, letters, and internal communications.
The tedious task of editing and proofreading our writing usually falls on us because we don’t have the time or luxury of hiring a professional editor.
As writers or professionals, we know readers lose interest when something is poorly written. In a business setting, sending off a proposal or report with typos and basic grammar mistakes won’t land your company the job. If you submit your piece to an online publication, it won’t be considered, no matter how brilliant the ideas, if the writing is sloppy and contains errors.
Errors distract the reader from the potential of your story and prevent you from achieving your objective — getting published or sealing the deal at work.
As an editor (of mostly nonfiction books), I stand on my head and do backflips to work with my clients to ensure their book is the best it can possibly be. The training and experience I have, plus an insane interest in grammar and style details, helps me do my job.
But as a writer, I always miss something. It happens to everyone because our minds take shortcuts when processing familiar information. You just don’t see it. And let’s face it, spell check and grammar apps are excellent tools, but they will only take you so far.
Here are three of my favourite techniques for improving writing and making sure it is error-free.
1. Sleep on it
We are all eager to finish whatever we are writing and get it out there. I know the itch. In my case, the story has usually been on my mind for days — every time I took a shower or went for a walk.
It’s hard to put it aside, but letting the story sit a day or longer while working on something else or going on with life is a valuable editing or proofreading technique. The benefit of fresh eyes after I have taken a break from my text is immeasurable. I always see it differently and it’s easier to spot errors the next day.
2. read it out loud
This is my favourite technique, and it’s always in my arsenal. When I read my writing silently, errors and awkward phrases are less obvious. As I read my writing over and over again on my screen, I no longer truly see it.
When I read aloud, all the awkwardness and mistakes in my writing jump out and scream for attention. This method is excellent for catching errors and to smooth the flow of words, particularly dialogue.
You can also use the “Read Aloud” function under the “Review” tab in Word and have your computer read your text to you. Read Aloud will be your new BFF.
The voice is monotone but close your eyes and listen. You will hear a word’s missing s. The word with a typo will be mispronounced. And more significantly, when you hear a sentence you may realize a slight adjustment will strengthen it.
3. Read on different devices or formats
When I read my writing on a different device, either my cellphone or iPad, I notice things I didn’t see before. Reading on my phone allows me to focus on one small chunk, one phone screen at a time.
The majority of people read on their cellphones. A bonus of re-reading on my cellphone is that I see the text as my reader does. This strategy forces me to break up paragraphs that are too long — those solid uninviting walls of text. So my work is never done until I have looked at it on my cellphone.
Of course, sometimes the text is too long to read on a cellphone. In this case, print it out. It may sound like a wasted effort or outdated to those who find writing, editing and proofreading on a screen second nature.
Still, it is a valuable editing technique because you see your writing in a different format and notice things you did not see before. While you are at it, you can also:
remove unnecessary adjectives and adverbs,
replace weak words,
ensure there is one idea per paragraph,
divide long paragraphs into two.
Final thought: you don’t have to do all three
I recommend choosing one or two of my strategies and see how they work for you. It will only take a few extra minutes to give your work one final polish. Then hit publish or send and rest easy that you have done your best.
And best of all, these strategies don’t cost a dime.