How to Improve Editing Skills
Read frequently., Understand writing styles., Identify your writing style., Start small., Have the confidence to spot and fix errors.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read frequently.
Reading is the best way to get better at any language, even when you are a native speaker.
Read quality books, magazines, and articles as frequently as you can to develop your reading skills.
Great readers make good editors since they have developed a mastery over the language and are familiar with different grammatical structures.While you can read different types of writing to learn different skills, it is helpful to focus on reading the type of writing you'll be working with.
For instance, focus on reading modern and historical fiction if you'll be editing fiction or focus on academic writing if that will be your focus.You can read fiction to heighten your attention to detail, creativity, and emotion.
Non-fiction texts can help you get a better sense of article structure and how authors incorporate facts into a larger argument.
The more you read, the better you’ll become at identifying good pieces of writing and picking up on mistakes. -
Step 2: Understand writing styles.
Everyone writes in different styles and voices.
If you ask ten people to write a sentence about a topic, like "Jack and Jill have been best friends for ten years"
people will word the sentence in different ways.
They will also use different words to describe things and their sentences can take on different tones.
Good editors can take a piece of writing and make small changes to the structure and grammar without losing the author’s original tone.Some people have developed their writing style naturally, especially if they write frequently.
For some, writing is very natural and they enjoy the process.
Others need a specific tone to focus on, like an academic tone or a joking tone, while they write. , A good editor is usually also a good writer.
Good editing complements a writer’s style and allows the message of the text to shine through without poor grammar and bad structure holding it back.
By identifying your own writing voice, you can be more aware whenever you start to ignore the author’s voice and replace it with your own.Think of an interesting topic that you can write about.
Take 30 minutes and write whatever comes to mind.
Have someone read over your work and ask them to tell you what sort of tone they think you have.
Professors and other authors can provide helpful insight about your writing style as well. , You don’t have to edit ten or twenty pages of material to practice.
You can start with shorter pieces like 1,000-word articles and practice with these.
This is also a good way to expose yourself to different writing styles and topics.
Choose a handful of short texts to edit and practice with these before moving on to longer pieces where you’ll need to check for logical flows and coherence throughout.This is a good way to keep from getting bored with the texts that you’re editing.
Since you’ll be working with multiple shorter pieces instead of one long piece, you will have more variety in the material. , Good editing skills go beyond the mechanics to having the judgment to recognize mistakes and having the confidence to fix them.
As you progress through your editing career, you will find yourself relying less and less on outside methods, like spell check, and relying more on your own intuition.
This process takes time.
You develop confidence in your skills when you know that they are as strong as you could possibly make them at this point in time. -
Step 3: Identify your writing style.
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Step 4: Start small.
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Step 5: Have the confidence to spot and fix errors.
Detailed Guide
Reading is the best way to get better at any language, even when you are a native speaker.
Read quality books, magazines, and articles as frequently as you can to develop your reading skills.
Great readers make good editors since they have developed a mastery over the language and are familiar with different grammatical structures.While you can read different types of writing to learn different skills, it is helpful to focus on reading the type of writing you'll be working with.
For instance, focus on reading modern and historical fiction if you'll be editing fiction or focus on academic writing if that will be your focus.You can read fiction to heighten your attention to detail, creativity, and emotion.
Non-fiction texts can help you get a better sense of article structure and how authors incorporate facts into a larger argument.
The more you read, the better you’ll become at identifying good pieces of writing and picking up on mistakes.
Everyone writes in different styles and voices.
If you ask ten people to write a sentence about a topic, like "Jack and Jill have been best friends for ten years"
people will word the sentence in different ways.
They will also use different words to describe things and their sentences can take on different tones.
Good editors can take a piece of writing and make small changes to the structure and grammar without losing the author’s original tone.Some people have developed their writing style naturally, especially if they write frequently.
For some, writing is very natural and they enjoy the process.
Others need a specific tone to focus on, like an academic tone or a joking tone, while they write. , A good editor is usually also a good writer.
Good editing complements a writer’s style and allows the message of the text to shine through without poor grammar and bad structure holding it back.
By identifying your own writing voice, you can be more aware whenever you start to ignore the author’s voice and replace it with your own.Think of an interesting topic that you can write about.
Take 30 minutes and write whatever comes to mind.
Have someone read over your work and ask them to tell you what sort of tone they think you have.
Professors and other authors can provide helpful insight about your writing style as well. , You don’t have to edit ten or twenty pages of material to practice.
You can start with shorter pieces like 1,000-word articles and practice with these.
This is also a good way to expose yourself to different writing styles and topics.
Choose a handful of short texts to edit and practice with these before moving on to longer pieces where you’ll need to check for logical flows and coherence throughout.This is a good way to keep from getting bored with the texts that you’re editing.
Since you’ll be working with multiple shorter pieces instead of one long piece, you will have more variety in the material. , Good editing skills go beyond the mechanics to having the judgment to recognize mistakes and having the confidence to fix them.
As you progress through your editing career, you will find yourself relying less and less on outside methods, like spell check, and relying more on your own intuition.
This process takes time.
You develop confidence in your skills when you know that they are as strong as you could possibly make them at this point in time.
About the Author
Christopher Ortiz
Specializes in breaking down complex DIY projects topics into simple steps.
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