A lot of writers find it hard to edit their own work and instead get the help of an impartial proofreader to help refine their copy. However, this isn’t always necessary if you follow these five tips for editing your own content.
Take a breather
You know what it’s like. You finish your draft late at night and you just want to submit it there and then to take it off your pile. But that’s when small mistakes happen which, in turn, multiply all over the internet – the joys of the digital world!
It’s always best to sleep on it and revisit your work in the morning or, alternatively, take a little break to eat, drink, and stretch your legs before returning to refine your draft.
Read it to yourself
Spellings and typos aside, the best way to check the flow of your writing is to read it aloud to yourself. Hearing the words is the best way to understand how your audience will read your content.
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Know your weaknesses
If you are renowned for putting your apostrophes in the wrong place or you can’t tell ‘their’ from ‘they’re’, then remember to focus on these areas when editing your draft. If you are looking out for it, you are less likely to miss it.
Check names and numbers
Names, numbers, and dates are sometimes the most vital pieces of information in your text, so it’s important to get them right. Facts must be accurate for the purpose of integrity, so remember to do your fact-checking and go back over those dates and years to ensure they are correct.
Get support
It’s ok to use tools like spellcheck, Grammarly, and even AI if necessary, as these can save you time. Just don’t rely on them too much as it might lead to you becoming complacent and not editing your work to the highest standard. This could end up affecting your reputation.
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