Self-editing

I have a friend who refuses to read blogs. “Too many mistakes!” she exclaims, ever the grammar critic. “What most bloggers need is an editor.”

I couldn’t agree more. One of the hardest parts of blogging in my opinion, is editing what you wrote. Everybody has the same problem, but if you follow these steps, your writing should be clear, mistake-free and flow well. Do them all! Each step catches a different sort of mistake.

Activate the spell checker. It won’t catch everything, but it will catch most stuff. You then need to be especially vigilant about apostrophes, they’re versus their, too and to etc.

Check your post in a different window. In Blogger, you’ll need to actually publish it, but in Wordpress you can see what your post will look like by clicking the ‘Preview this post’ button.

Read what you wrote out loud. Read the whole post, not just parts, and really read it outlound, not just mumbling. This will help with the flow.

Look for synonyms. Try to avoid using the same verbs over and over.

Wait a day before you publish. I know that I’m so often in a fog when I finish a post, or a group of posts, that it’s best if I go back and edit the next day. I’m much clearer, both in thought and expressing those thoughts.

Here are some good links to help with your writing and editing.

• An Editorial Calendar Will Keep You Sane (post)

• Beyond Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation (post)

• Content is King (post)

• Daily Writing Tips (site)

• Punctuality Rules (site)

• Write to Done (site)