Writing and Editing

Trying to get the words you’ve envisioned onto paper or into an electronic communication doesn’t easily translate from fingers to keyboard. It may take several drafts before you get your word choices right.

Never Send The First Draft Without Editing First

As a rule, never send out the first draft of anything. Writing and editing are tasks not to be hurried. Mistakes creep in when time is short and writing is rushed. Sending a quick draft without editing is often followed later by agonizing ”Why didn’t I change that?” realizations. Worse, bad copy can make you look unprofessional and sometimes downright stupid. So, how do you effectively edit your copy?

Edit Without Mercy

First, read through your copy and eliminate all unnecessary words and repeated phrases. Be brutal and merciless. Chop long sentences into two or three counterparts. A short sentence communicates better than something that rambles on until the reader loses interest. If you’ve followed an informal outline, a what-comes-before-this approach, then you should have a logical flow from one point to another. If not, revise. Revision with a computer is a snap. If you have difficulty editing on-screen, print out a hard copy and read it. Sometimes reading the hard copy reveals hidden errors that you can quickly correct on-screen.

Read Copy Aloud

Once you’re satisfied with organization, work on flow and tone. Read the work out loud. Your tongue will trip over awkward phrasings and stuffy, boring passages that need to be cut or reworked. When the copy reads smoothly and reflects the tone you want, you’ve succeeded. Unless, of course, you speak with the “You know,” “Awesome,” or “Like” slang of today. Don’t put in too many industry buzzwords unless you’re writing to a co-worker who knows the lingo. Technical jargon is fine in limited amounts, but if you overuse jargon when communicating something to, perhaps, someone in marketing, you probably won’t succeed. Not that the marketing person is stupid. It’s just that you’re speaking a language that is specific to your background and training. To communicate effectively, you‘ve got to use words that everyone can understand. The Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) adage applies to all writing.

Be Wary Of Computer Spell Checkers

Once the copy is polished, it’s time for fine tuning. A good rule of thumb - never trust your spell checker. Words that are acceptable to a PC are not necessarily good to use. Errant keystrokes sometimes add the wrong word spellings into your spell checker’s database, so that these will be approved and missed by you, but not by the reader. Misspellings will make the reader question your communication ability and the points you’re trying to make.

Check Each Line Backwards

Better yet, print a hard copy, grab a ruler and check each line backwards. That’s check, not read. When we read, our minds naturally put words together into coherent thoughts. We stream through a sentence, often overlooking misspelled words or others that simply don’t belong. Checking each word from right to left on every line will help you to spot errors and also helps you think of better ways of stating your case. This method is a bit awkward at first and will require some training, since your mind will still tend to read instead of checking each word. Practice makes it easier.

Writing and Editing Feedback

Once you're done writing and editing your work yourself, print out another hard copy and have someone you trust, not an employee or subordinate, give you honest criticism. It’s better to have holes identified now and revise, then to have your reader spot them later.

Rest The Copy Overnight

Once all these steps are done, wait a day if you can. Overnight, your mind will continue to work on your writing and editing processes, so when you come back to it the next morning, you’ll see things that need changing and improving. After a final editing, go ahead and send the communication.