25 editing tips for your writer’s toolbox
Differentiating between content editing and proofreading, checking for organization and flow, and cutting fluff and off-topic elements are among the essentials of thorough editing.
Editing is just as important as writing—maybe even more important.
If you can edit your work effectively, your rough draft might look like chicken scratches, but that won’t matter. As long as you have a fairly solid piece of writing that makes an interesting point, you’re in good shape if you have good editing skills.
But if you don’t know how to edit, writing can be more frustrating than necessary, at best. At worst, nobody will read those chicken scratches.
Check out this list of tips you can start using right away. Tuck it away in your writer’s toolbox, and remember to use it, especially if you’re a beginner.
1. Editing refers to structural changes (the big stuff) and rewriting sections of the manuscript, article, or blog post.
Editing also focuses on changes at the chapter, section, and sentence level. Examining and correcting content, organization, style, and logic as well as grammar, spelling, punctuation, and more are all part of the editing process.
2. Proofreading, on the other hand, is about little stuff that’s hard to see.
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