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Tips for writers

Discussion in 'Copywriting' started by ahnonamis, Aug 3, 2007.

  1. #1
    Having worked as an editor for a few newspapers, websites, and comic book publishers, there are a few things I just wanted to share with people that I believe really help make sure your articles have as little errors as possible. (Obviously not everyone is equal when it comes to writing or grammar skills, so this is by no means a 100% way to ensure there are no errors -- just a few helpful tips I've used and had others use in the past for good results.)


    1. After writing an article, read it out loud to yourself to make sure it sounds right. If it does, you're on the right path. Lots of times you'll use words that sound alike or look alike, though, and saying it and reading it out loud helps spot those mistakes.

    2. When editing work, edit first for flow (beginning to end to make sure the piece as a whole works right and makes sense).

    3. After editing for flow, edit for grammar. My best advice for this is to edit in reverse, starting with the last sentence first. It makes you pay more attention that way, and without being wrapped up in your article, you're more likely to notice little mistakes.

    4. Do NOT always trust spellchecker. It's a good thing to use to make sure words are spelled right, but it doesn't check for the right WORDS. The grammar suggestions it usually makes are pretty off sometimes, too.

    5. Know your audience, and edit accordingly. If you're writing a scholarly piece, you want to edit every minute detail, quote correctly, and cite VERY correctly. However, if your article is aimed towards teenagers or website owners, chances are they don't want to read something that scholarly sounding all the time, so edit it to be fun.

    6. Realize that no matter what you write, it can always improve. This is VERY important for writers to realize. I can't tell you how many people I've had working for me (or students I've taught) have edited something, and then pulled the, "Well, it's done so I'll leave it alone!" routine. A lot of the time you will just leave it as-is once it's posted. If you're writing a very important piece, something you charged a lot for, or something you really want to bring home the visits/cash, save it for a day, then read it again to make sure you didn't miss anything. Shakespeare spent years refining some of his plays after he wrote them, so spending an extra day refining your article about Adsense won't hurt your credibility.


    Whether or not anyone even reads this or cares about anything in here isn't up to me. I just thought I had time to kill, and unlike a lot of people here I can't contribute when it comes to SEO or link exchanges, so I'd help out how I could :)
     
    ahnonamis, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  2. Talker

    Talker Notable Member

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    #2
    Thanks a bunch for the tips. Im sure i will write better articles if i use your tips.
     
    Talker, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  3. krates

    krates Active Member

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    #3
    cool man thanks for the tips
     
    krates, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  4. ichigo

    ichigo Well-Known Member

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    #4
    Nice tips. I guess I have to email this to my writers :D

    thanks
     
    ichigo, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  5. Oosha

    Oosha Well-Known Member

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    #5
    Good tips!
     
    Oosha, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  6. hopewilbanks

    hopewilbanks Guest

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    #6
    Excellent tips! Especially #3. I've found that reading my work backwards often points out mistakes I would have missed otherwise. Great post!
     
    hopewilbanks, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  7. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #7
    Good points. I'll add one—take a class in editing in college. You'll learn all this and more.

    Oh, and one more point. Have someone else edit your work if possible. A very small percentage of good writers can actually edit worth a crap. Many of the best writers out there need a solid editor to help polish their work.

    To give you an example, I'll tell you about a 400-level editing class I took. The class was filled with journalism students. By this point, we all knew how to come up with story ideas, track down people, write and so forth.

    And these weren't just some low-level writers. Being published was part and parcel to obtaining your degree. I'm not saying they were all future journalists, just pointing out the requirements. :)

    How many of these students received an A in the class? Two. A few got B's and the rest received C's--two dropped the class.

    Just about every writer thought they could edit their own work. And just about every writer was wrong.
     
    marketjunction, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  8. latoya

    latoya Active Member

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    #8
    It also helps me to put the article (or whatever I'm writing) away for a few hours then come back to it with a fresh look. I catch way more errors that way.
     
    latoya, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  9. ahnonamis

    ahnonamis Peon

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    #9

    It's really one of the most frustrating things about being an editor. Writers are convinced they're always perfect, and hate when you change things. Not only do you have to placate them while making the writing better, but you also rarely ever get any credit outside the place you work. No one gets how hard editing can be... Let just one decent sized mistake get through...
     
    ahnonamis, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  10. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #10
    What grade did you get, Jason? LOL

    It's interesting. I can edit the work of others relatively well, which is good since its an essential part of teaching Language Arts, but I know I don't edit my own as well. At least knowing is half the battle, right? :)

    Rebecca
     
    internetauthor, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  11. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #11
    Well, if you must know, I was the best in the class. I was able to write, edit, write headlines and create solid layouts--a rarity.

    I actually helped the other person who got an A (barely). :)

    But none of that matters.

    And yes, despite being the brains of the operation (at least in print), editors receive little credit. LOL :)
     
    marketjunction, Aug 3, 2007 IP
  12. Joint2DWorld

    Joint2DWorld Banned

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    #12
    Yeah - fresh eyes are required for editing work, or at least that's what I think.
     
    Joint2DWorld, Aug 4, 2007 IP
  13. internetauthor

    internetauthor Peon

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    #13
    LOL - Why am I not surprised? :)

    Good for you - Gold Star!
     
    internetauthor, Aug 4, 2007 IP
  14. marketjunction

    marketjunction Well-Known Member

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    #14
    And with all that, I still like to have another editor check my work when possible.

    It's very easy to miss stuff when you edit your own work.
     
    marketjunction, Aug 4, 2007 IP
  15. ahnonamis

    ahnonamis Peon

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    #15

    I completely agree. When I'm putting up news or something timely, I put it up after looking over it myself. When I'm putting up a video game review, preview, feature or interview, though, I ALWAYS try to get my senior editor (or a friend of mine who works at GameSpot) to give it a quick glance to make sure I didn't miss anything.

    It's very easy to read it and think it's perfect since you "already edited it," but end up missing a HUGE error. (Also very embarrassing :p)
     
    ahnonamis, Aug 5, 2007 IP
  16. getitdone

    getitdone Peon

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    #16
    Reading what I write out loud is turning out to be the best advice for me. That way, you can really tell if it flows. Plus, you can catch a couple of the mistakes you missed that way.
     
    getitdone, Aug 7, 2007 IP
  17. anthonyn

    anthonyn Well-Known Member

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    #17
    Some of your tips are unique. I enjoyed reading and I shall reflect on it to put it across in action
     
    anthonyn, Aug 12, 2007 IP
  18. xeric

    xeric Peon

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    #18
    I liked the points. Thanks for the article.

    Good to know some useful points.
     
    xeric, Aug 12, 2007 IP
  19. kthor

    kthor Well-Known Member

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    #19
    hey great writing 101 stuff
    wish more writters follow this stuff than just write away that dont make sense lol
     
    kthor, Aug 12, 2007 IP
  20. william_bob

    william_bob Peon

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    #20
    The tips is very useful for me.
    Thanks
     
    william_bob, Aug 13, 2007 IP