Writing is the easy part. You sit at a computer or pull out your journal and spew your thoughts. But if you want to share or publish your writing, editing is necessary. Blog posts can get away with a little less work, but articles take more editing.
When I edit something I've thrown together, I first try to decide where I to go with it. It has to serve a purpose. It has to ask and answer a question. There needs to be flow. The sequence has to make sense.
(That being said, I've gone back over some things I've written and published and much later see it could have flowed better. We are always a work in progress.)
Cut Words
Cutting unnecessary words is an important edit. When I write eBooks, not only do I cut the unnecessary words I notice, I go to lists of words I've saved that professional editors say to cut (you can find lists online). I do a word search on various words or phrases and cut them out drastically.
It's always a good idea to give yourself time between edits even if it is simply minutes.
I edit an article, leave it to work on another, and return to it later. I do this on and off until I can read an article through without making a change. Then I know it's ready.
Of course, the perfectionist in most writers keeps seeing more to change. When this becomes problematic, I just call it quits. I say it's good enough, and I send it in to the editors.
Of course, the perfectionist in most writers keeps seeing more to change. When this becomes problematic, I just call it quits. I say it's good enough, and I send it in to the editors.
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