Better Writing 101: Tips for Self-Editing

Posted by Lima Al-Azzeh Sep 25, 2008

Self-editing calls for a writer to review their own work through fresh eyes, a difficult endeavour particularly if you have spent quite a bit of time finessing your article. Here are some tips on how to perform your editing process.

Begin by writing freely without editing. This will ensure that you get all your best ideas out. Make sure to take a break after you are done writing, whether for a few hours or even a whole day. Give yourself some time to switch from a creative headspace to an analytical, editing one.

Your first round of edits should be substantive. Look for issues regarding the overall flow of the article. Do your paragraphs flow in a logical way? If your article includes a list in point form, do you need to prioritize that list? Does it need to be in some kind of order?

The next stage is the stylistic edit, alternatively called a line edit. This involves looking at your piece on a sentence- by-sentence level. Do you have any run-on sentences? Are there any sentences that are too long or too wordy? Are you using the correct agreements? Is each sentence conveying your intended meaning?

With all the larger issues out of the way, you are now free to copyedit your work. This is where you would look at the details. Run the spell check and the grammar check and correct any usage issues that your work may have.

In the publishing world the next phase of edits would be called typesetting. Here you would look at extra-textual elements and the overall format of your piece. Did you forget to break up some paragraphs? Do you need to set anything in bold font? Are you missing any subheadings?

Proofreading your work once you’ve run through all the edits is an absolute must. This may seem excessive but you never know when you have missed something.

Also, keep in mind what your pet problems are; these could be habits like repeating phrases, misspelling words, or even leaving unfinished sentences. Being aware of what your habits are can help you know what to watch for in your own work. Finally, always have a grammar guide and style guide handy in case you have any questions or doubts. Sometimes the best editing advice will be right under your nose!