This may be a nooby copywriting question but it just occured to me (while I am trying to finish this article but I feel this is a method to escape from having to do it ) about how much editing/checking/re-reads do you do before you send it to the client? I means I've wrote two paragraphs and keep re-reading them taking bits out and adding more text etc. When do you decide the article is "complete"? When it truly is to the best of your ability or do you cut corners and move on if you feel it will be satistfactory? Richard
I don't know that cutting corners would be beneficial. After all, your reputation as a writer is on the line. I usually proof it at least twice after I've run spell/grammar check just to ensure that everything is legible and there isn't something that I missed the first time.
Just to let everyone know I don't cut corners myself I was just curious about other people so if my potential clients read this your articles will be done to the best of my ability... honest On a serious note though, I tend to read mine a paragraph at a time then at least once when i believe it is complete.
Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share. I’ve written a 2000 word article that is due mid-February. It is finished, but I am going through extensive edits, because I want the article to be professional. Let me share what type of details I am addressing. Making sure all phone numbers are written in the same format. Making sure that all times given are written in the same format - 9 am and not 9:00 a.m. Make sure certain words or phrases -area, region, shoppers, treasures, natural beauty- are not overused. Didn’t want to have the word “climb†in two back to back sentences. Adventurers can climb to the top of the structure. Admission charged to climb the spire. So I change climb to venture. Then when I re-read I got Adventurers can venture…… totally tweaking and wordsmithing at this point. I am so tired of reading it, but every time I do I find something that I can polish and make perfect. And I think that’s why I was hired. Granted, this is a long term project for a nice fee. There are times when you have to write something quickly and cut and run.
I totally agree with you on the last part where sometimes you can't help on over looking certain bits. For me it depends on the rates because I have just had an update so I am moving away from the lower paid to the higher paid gigs (If I can find them) but I like to think I put 100% into each project as I want to build a good reputation as a writer. Going off topic, I've read that you are best specializing in a specific niche so that you can concentrate on what you enjoy doing. But I don't know which niche to actually go for, there isn't a niche that i love writing about. Well not one I can think of off hand. I think it's the lack of sleep because I'm beginning to babble on about irrelvant things now lol. Richard
Some people should check more often than others. I generally read something two or three times before submitting, but I also revise a lot as I'm writing. Reading once for content clarity and again for typos, grammar etc. generally does the trick .
bon- I have to just simply say, "I'm done" and do a final edit. Then I look over again. It is so tough to find my own mistakes. I have to let it sit, let some time go by, and then look with fresh eyes. I will have to say that I have a tough time with exactly what you've pointed out and I've done this a looooong time.
As an editor, I follow a process. When that process is complete, I'm done. If you're writing something important, hire an editor to review your work. There are three levels of editing. Your writing ability tends to determine what you need. However, some writers just want to focus on the creative side of writing and let an editor work on making it presentable. If you do a fair amount of decent editing yourself, then you probably can get away with hiring an editor to proofread, which is level one, the lowest level of editing. When you edit on your own, make sure you read your item(s) aloud. It does make a difference. Go back and make sure you've addressed the main message properly and that it's written to the target audience. And before closing your item, make sure it has a logical flow. Imagine a recipe. You wouldn't talk about grilling techniques in the middle of discussing the required ingredients. Another tip is about style, develop one. If you say "1 item" and then "one item," it looks unprofessional to the Nth degree. Be consistent. Even if you can't hire an editor, ask a friend to read the item (or read it to them). See if they have questions or if they don't understand something. Granted, if you're writing an article for doctors, the layman might be slightly confused, but that's okay. In closing, if you listen to nothing else I say, listen to this: Never, ever edit while you are writing. Write your article and then go through and fine-tune it.
I will have to fight it off, I always re-read each paragraph after I believe I have completed it. Then again when it is all complete. I'll try hold off next time and see what happens
Once the complete first draft is done, I get down to strengthening my ideas and changing the order of things. I usually rearrange stuff during the first edit. I edit it once again for any typos or punctuation, basically sprucing it up until I feel things are perfect. The number of times I edit depends on what I am working on. Sometimes I find the need to let it stew for a while before editing a final time. I'm not in the habit of reading aloud, but that makes a lot of sense.
Hey Richard, as a productivity and efficiency 'sucker' I've done the same thing in the past, but quickly changed my working methods. To get the most done in the least amount of time I've found that the following process works much better, and also delivers quality products: -Start writing in blocks on 15 to 30 minutes. Don't stop writing, just pour your heart out. Also, don't get back to fix errors, just let the words flow freely. -Lay it down for at least 15 minutes. Then get back to add your final thoughts. -Rest another 15 minutes and then finalize the article by editing and polishing it. Don't pay to much attention to grammar errors. -Let a friend or someone else proofread it. If you can't find someone, then do it yourself - the day after you wrote it. This way you'll be able to see your own mistakes. Hope that helps, -Dave
Like Origano says, I like to first pour my heart out on paper (or computer screen) and then do any editing. For me, research precedes any writing so basically, I do a lot of reading and contemplation on what I'm going to write on and I let it incubate in my mind; let my brain make neural connections and stuff. Then, after a few hours, I sit down and write non-stop... in other words I "freestlye" on the subject. If I'm writing about dysfunctional families, part of the original brainstormed manuscript could read: "A lot of problems are caused in familes due to dads and moms drinking, hanging out, you know what I'm saying? They just hang out, drink and do all kinds of crazy ish. Dysfucntional families are so hard to live in cos you know, it puts a lot of pressure on the kids' minds; the kids just sometimes wile out inside their own heads looking at their moms and dads... there's also a lot of violence and abuse in such families. Exposure to violence when you're young can leave a lot of emotional wounds in you that go unhealed as you grow up. This could lead to a very destructive mentatily and self-image that's like permanently tattooed to your brain. Damn, I hate these mosquitoes... stop biting me you little [expletives]. Research shows xx% of people are raised in dysfunctional families blah blah blah......." I just wrote that... haven't edited any part of it (don't point out the spelling errors, or the mosquitoes ). So, as you can probably guess, I was speaking that out loud and transcribing myself as I spoke so that's why it reads pretty bad. But, you get the point. This is the skeleton; I'll have remove the extra funny bones , do a few more rounds of editing and such but in the end, it all turns out pretty well. If you've visited my site before (godofwriting.com), you'd know that I have a decent conversational style; that's basically because I like to speak my mind out every time I try to write something; it really helps. And as to how many rounds of editing I do, it isn't set in stone, I just keep editing and rephrasing until I can read through the entire manuscript without stopping anywhere to critique some part of it. Cheers