How to Self-Edit: 10 Tips from Our Editor That Will Make You a Better Writer
Let’s be honest, we all have that one friend who can’t drive the point of their story home without taking a few detours.
They pique your curiosity with a juicy drive-by statement that you can’t ignore. “Guess what I did this weekend? You’ll never believe what happened!”
Naturally, you climb on board the story bus express for what you think will be the ride of your life. Somewhere along the way, they miss the exit to their original point, and you end up lost at the intersection of “What aunt Dorris hates most about Christmas” and “Why they haven’t yet booked a vet appointment for their cat but will soon.” By the time they finally circle back around the block to what they did on the weekend, the excitement of their story has worn off, and you’re just happy they finally drove their point home.
Sound familiar? We thought so.
Self-editing is the difference between producing a mediocre piece of content and a memorable one. By being as clear and direct as possible with your message, people are more likely to keep reading. These 10 tips from our editor will make you a better writer and a concise storyteller who leaves their audience wanting more.
1) Give Yourself Time
The best articles don’t happen in one sitting. The first step is to spill your words out on the page without judgment, and only then read through and make changes. Don’t forget to step away: take a break, check something off your to-do list. You want to return to your article with a fresh state of mind for each round of editing. When you have a completed draft, our editors will help you identify any areas that are unclear. With any editor, you have the freedom to ask for clarification on changes that you do not feel good about.
2) Begin at the End
We have the tendency to start with the who/what/where/when in the opening statement. These are important features to state early on, but not the most enticing place to begin. So, after you write your draft, and really work out what it is you want to say, take a new stab at the opening. State your topic while leaving a little mystery. If the conclusion is the answer, your opening statement is the question. Add an extra hook by keeping the sentences short. This will make it easy to read and before they know it, the reader is deep into the meat of your article. There are lots of great examples in our past issues.
3) Kill Your Darlings
One of the most tempting things when editing our own work is to keep our favourite sentences/paragraphs/phrases intact at the expense of the greater narrative. We have all written perfect sentences that end up not making sense in the context of the article, or that pull too far away from the central point. If it works for you, choose your key points in advance so that you don’t stray too far in the first place. The goal is clarity, and if a sentence doesn’t serve to clarify your concept, it shouldn’t be there.
4) Construct Confidence
We all have doubts and insecurities about our ideas, but we don’t need to tell the reader. Removing non-committal words instills confidence and lets them know you believe what you say. This is especially true in grants or other applications. Replace statements like: I think, I believe, perhaps, I hope, I plan, I want, maybe. Use words like: I will, I am, it is.
5) Engage Your Reader
Expect more of your reader. Assume they can follow your train of thought without shoving it down their throat. A common tendency is to tell the reader how they should feel. Instead, provide all the evidence they need to come to the same conclusion. Ask yourself WHY you feel a certain way and explain the rationale or situation. How do your opinions and ideas differ from those you have heard in the past? What unlikely or interesting language could you use in place of common statements? Get specific and avoid vague enthusiasm or clichés.
6) Break Up Your Thoughts
There are so many ways to say something. Don’t assume you got it right the first time. Cut apart long sentences to improve readability. Look for clunky sentences by reading out loud. If you struggle at all to have the right cadence when reading, or if you are unsure if it is grammatically correct, it probably needs to be chopped up. You can also remove unnecessary connecting words. Ask yourself what could be removed while still maintaining the meaning. Using fewer words to make a point usually results in higher impact and memorability.
7) Arrange Purposefully
Ask yourself how each paragraph furthers your concept. The automatic tendency is to write things down chronologically, or in the order you thought them. Almost no article will come out of your head in the right order. First, look for opportunities to combine parts that discuss similar concepts. Then, look for hints that things may be out of order, such as trouble transitioning between parts. Save lots of copies so you’re not afraid to change things. When the order is right, you’ll know because it will flow smoothly.
8) Title to Entice
Titling is hard. But, similar to opening paragraphs, I believe they are best selected at the end. This title should do the same job as your opening statement – entice the reader to read on. Don’t give too much away and do try to use evocative language. I often find the right words by looking through the article for poignant, creative phrases. If you are writing about an artist, it helps to include the artist’s name in some way. For example, check out the table of contents for our past few issues by hovering over the items in our online shop.
9) Avoid Repeating Words
The easiest thing to look for when editing your own work is repeated words. Question any word that occurs multiple times in your article, especially in the same paragraph. Use CTRL-F (the “find” function) to help in your search for repeats. The top over-used words I replace are passion, creative, natural, artwork, inspiration. Don’t be afraid of your thesaurus!
10) Conclude Creatively
Don’t forget that this is a conclusion; you’ll want to conclude the ideas you presented, not start fresh with a completely new concept. That said, it never hurts to add extra oomph. Bring it all home succinctly and present your key ideas with courage and creativity. Your final sentence should have a lot of impact and be well-composed. This is the punchline. I often find impactful closing sentences by scouring the rest of the article – you probably already wrote something amazing when you weren’t trying so hard.
