5 Self-Editing Techniques You HAVE to Try

You’ve been hearing it since you were young. Check your work! Re-read what you wrote! Spell check!

It is important to self-edit all of your writing, but sometimes spell check and a simple proofread isn’t enough to catch all your typos or contextual mishaps. Try these five different approaches to self-editing to improve your writing and to improve the experience for your readers.
1. Walk away from it

When you are too close to your writing, it’s difficult see your mistakes. In your mind it all sounds wonderful, but it’s amazing what becomes obvious with five minutes, four hours, one day, and even one week of distance. Give yourself as much room as possible between your original version and the next revision.

2. Start at the end of the page

There are several different ways to read your content. In other words, try reading through your content and paying attention to only one specific aspect, for example, commas or spelling or rhythm or tense. When reading for mechanics, start at the end and read backwards. This will allow you to ignore “the story” and focus on the specifics in your writing.

3. Read out loud

Your writing WILL sound different to your ears. When you read out loud you will notice areas of your writing that don’t flow. No spell checker can pick-up these types of errors.

4. Create a checklist

Keep a running tally of common mistakes and foibles you make in your writing. When it’s time to self-edit, reference this list and use the find feature in your word processor to spot those errors.  Download the No. 2 Pen Editing Checklist from our Writing Freebies section and add to it every time you go through the practice of self-editing.

5. Read to your avatar

You need to think of your audience and write in a way that makes sense to them. Many professional writers and copy editors will create an “avatar,”  or a fictitious person that represents the audience. For example, an IT outsourcing company might create an avatar that represents an office manager of a small business. The avatar will be defined by specifics such as gender, age, educational level, buying habits, and more.

This post is one of several posts in our series on copy editing. Check back with us every week in November to learn more about self editing and No. 2 Pen’s professional editing services.

The No. 2 Pen is a full-service writing and communications company. Contact us to discuss your writing projects and editing needs.