Introduction
Being an editor is a lot like being a parent. Some days, I'm almost sure that I'm doing it right and that my writers are going to grow up and go on to do great things. Other days, I'm pretty sure they're going to grow up and never have a job as long as they live. Like parenting, editing is hard work with little chance of success if you don't know what you're doing. But unlike parenting — at least in my experience — there are no books or courses for editors to take (or at least none that I've been able to find), so most of us learn how to edit by trial and error, which often has dramatic consequences for our writers' careers. That's why we editors always appreciate when someone gives us some helpful advice on what works and what doesn't in the world of writing. So while this blog post isn't intended as a lesson in editing (I have yet to figure out how such a thing could be taught), it is meant as some guidance for those who are curious about how they can improve their writing skills and make the lives of their editors easier in the process.
Do your research
You might think that you know your topic inside and out, but it's always a good idea to do a little research before you start writing. This will help you determine what words and phrases are most commonly used in writing about your subject matter. It will also give you an idea of how much extra work needs to be done on each page, so that you know if there's enough content for the blog post or article already written.
If there is no existing content published on your topic then doing research is even more important because the whole purpose of this step is to find out what people need or want in order for them to be interested in reading about it!
Edit, edit, and edit again.
You’re not done.
Editing is a crucial part of the writing process, one that can make or break your finished product. Some writers view editing as a chore, but it shouldn’t be. It’s an opportunity to improve upon your original work and make it better—for yourself and for others who will read it. Editing is how you ensure that the message you want to convey comes across clearly and effectively in your written work.
When editing, remember these points:
Don't get too attached to anything in your article...even if it's something you wrote months ago! This can be tough because we all want our writing to sound great, but we have to keep in mind that no one else has seen these words before us—so we need some distance from them in order for us (or others) not get caught up on minor details like sentence structure or word choice when making suggestions on how they could be strengthened further down the line by simply making edits after each round of revisions/rewrites before finalizing them once more during proofreading stage where only grammatical errors would need correcting before publishing online; thus saving time overall rather than spending too much effort reworking sentences constantly...or worse yet having someone else do all this hard work instead 😉
Use impressive words wisely.
Words are everything. The right ones can make your content interesting, but the wrong ones will have readers rolling their eyes and closing the browser tab.
When it comes to words, there are a few things an editor wants you to keep in mind:
Use impressive words wisely. In other words, use them sparingly and only when they're necessary for clarity or impact. If you've used too many big words, people won't understand what you're saying (and may think that you're just showing off). This will make it harder for them to finish reading your piece!
Don't be afraid of simple language! Sometimes complex language is overkill—a straightforward sentence will get the point across just as well as something complicated. It makes sense for some content types (e.g., science-y stuff), but not all (e.g., stories).
Keep sentences short and sweet so readers don't get bored with being drawn out by too many clauses or phrases within one sentence; they'll lose interest quickly if they feel like they're dragging themselves through mud while trying to read something that's meant instead just simply convey information without any unnecessary fluff added into it later down down line later down line later down line later down line late late
Write boldly.
Bold text can be a useful tool for conveying what's important in your writing. Think of it as a visual cue for the reader. A bold word is something that you want to draw attention to, whether that's because it's an essential point or something you want your audience to notice.
When you write, try to find places where bolding could help make your message clearer and more memorable. Avoid overusing bolded text because it can feel like shouting at the reader—but if you're trying to emphasize a point, highlighting it with bold words can help deliver that message loud and clear!
The more you read, the better you write.
Reading is one of the best ways to improve your writing and gain a new perspective on the world. Reading helps you learn new words, phrases and styles of writing. It also teaches you about new ideas, people and places. In fact, reading can help you become more culturally aware. When I'm reading an article or book that has been published in another country, I always notice the subtle differences in style between American English and British English (or Australian English).
For example: Americans sometimes use “it's” instead of “it is” when they want to say something like "It's cold outside." But if you're writing for an international audience or communicating with people from other countries where English isn't their first language then this kind of mistake could make them confused or annoyed by what they read! So it's probably wise not too mention how "cold" it is right now even though there might be snow falling outside my window right now because this could lead readers who don't speak English well enough yet feel less comfortable reading through your content because they see these mistakes everywhere they look which means they probably won't read anything else on this website either unless we fix those issues first...
Find someone else to proofread your work.
Your editor is not the only one who should be proofreading your work. You should also ask a colleague or friend to take a look at what you've written. That way, they can provide feedback based on their own experience and knowledge as opposed to yours.
It's important that the person reviewing your work not be too familiar with it—he or she needs to read it as if they were coming across it for the first time. They'll notice mistakes that you may have missed simply because the brain doesn't necessarily see what's most obvious when we're too close to our own words and ideas.
In addition, make sure that whoever proofreads for you has a different point of view from yours (ideally someone with whom you have varying experiences). This will help ensure that all angles of an argument are considered objectively before publication occurs; if there are any gaps in logic within an argument, this type of reader will likely spot them before anyone else does!
Define your topic and write to your audience.
Define your topic.
Know who you’re writing to and what they need, and make sure that it’s clear from the very beginning of your piece.
Write clearly, concisely, and consistently. Readers should always know what’s going on in a piece of content—and not just because they opened up the first paragraph and thought “what?” but because there are clues throughout every sentence that tell them how to read each one (like grammar). No matter how much research is done into a subject or how interesting it may be, if readers can’t understand what you're trying to say then all of that hard work has gone to waste. A good writer knows how best convey information so it's easy for everyone else too!
Don't use too many exclamation points!
Don't overuse exclamation points!
Exclamation points are the most misused punctuation mark, according to an analysis of data from more than 1 million blogs by Grammarly. Beyond making your writing look unprofessional and distracting readers, they can turn a simple question into an annoying rant or demand. Instead of using exclamation points to express every emotion you feel, consider them as a way to emphasize certain words and phrases in a sentence. For example, if you're asking someone out on a date but want them to know how excited you are about it (and not just because they asked), consider this: “Are you free Friday night?” versus “Are YOU free Friday night?!” The first is casual; the second is emphatic—and there's no need for an exclamation point at all!
Write well and it will pay off in the long run
If you want to make your written content better, there are a few key things editors look for in their writers. They're pretty simple—but if you're not using them, it can really hurt your chances of getting published.
First, use simple words and short sentences. If you’re looking at a publication that says its audience is college educated (that means they have at least some college training), then it's important to write as though they are well-educated people who can understand complicated language but also want an article that is easy to read quickly. A good rule of thumb is: if your mother couldn't understand it, then rework the sentence until she could understand it. This doesn't mean dumbing down what you have to say; rather, this means being clear about what message(s) need(s) conveying so readers don't get confused or frustrated trying to figure out what exactly was intended by the piece of writing as a whole—and so they aren't left wondering why something was included at all when so many other things could have been said instead!
Second: use Thesaurus software such as Dictionary .com or WordWeb . This will help find more impressive words than those simply used in everyday conversation would allow for us all being busy with our lives outside work hours (which might include working on projects like ours here). If one were going through these steps manually then we'd recommend changing one word every 5 minutes or less since switching between tasks too frequently may lead into errors later on down stream during completion time frames where deadlines start looming overhead while waiting periods stretch out endlessly before finally reaching relative closure levels after weeks pass without any noticeable progress being made towards completing
Conclusion
I hope these tips have been helpful, but one final piece of advice is to remember that writing is a process. It takes time to develop your own voice, and above all writing should be fun. If you are having fun with it, you’ll naturally produce more and better content.
