Effective Editing of Your Own Writing

Good editing makes good writing possible. A great editor can take a piece and make it stronger, more engaging, and easier to follow by editing its structure and content through multiple revisions. It takes time and practice to become a good editor, but the payoff is worth the investment. No matter how you’re involved in writing, such as a student, an author, a copy editor, or a freelance editor, strengthening your editing skills will improve the quality of your work.

 

Analyzing the Overall Structure 

 

Put the writing away for a few days. It can be difficult to edit your own writing. You’ve worked hard on it for weeks, months, or even years. When editing, you need to try to view your work objectively, as a reader would. So step away from the computer and give yourself a break from the manuscript. Focus on a different writing project or try to read sample essays to edit and then return to the piece of writing with fresh eyes in several days.  

• If you have waited until the last minute or were given a short deadline, you may not have time to do this. Getting a little distance and time from your work will help you read it more objectively and focus on what's actually on the page rather than what you think should be on the page. 

   

Print out your work. While some writers find it easy to edit their work on a computer screen, others find it much easier to spot mistakes on paper. Put the writing in a different format than the one you wrote it with. This will help you approach your own work critically and give you an outsider perspective.

• Usually, this will mean printing out writing that you've done on the computer, but you can also retype a first draft you wrote by hand.

• Using a paper copy will also allow you to mark up the manuscript with editing notes and revisions.

 

Read the manuscript straight through without any revisions. Try to read through the entire piece of writing without changing anything or making notes about any major fixes. This will help you shift from your writer mode to your reader mode. Keep a mental note of any sections that felt confusing, unfinished, or weakly supported.   

 

Revise sections, paragraphs, and chapters first. Often, writers focus on editing individual sentences and neglect the larger structure of a piece of writing. Do a big picture edit first, before you tackle words and phrases.

• Look at any chapters or sections that need to be tightened or fleshed out. Ask yourself: have I covered every possible angle of the topic or subject in this section? If you are editing an essay, you should check that there is an introduction, body, and conclusion. If you are editing a creative piece of writing, like a short story or a novel, look for any long winded passages or paragraphs that could be revised or shortened, especially in dialogue.

• There may also be scenes or sections that need to be reworked or revised. If you’re working on a long piece of writing, mark these with a post it note or a highlighted mark so you can remember that they need to be reworked more closely.

   

Check the tone and the voice. Think about the form you are writing for, and if the tone and voice of your writing fits this form. For example, if you are writing an online how-to article, your tone might be conversational and accessible with sentences that are no longer than one to two lines. But if you are writing period fiction, your tone and voice may be more formal and have anachronisms that were commonly used in the time period. An essay on a scientific topic will use scientific terms and a serious or professional tone, while an essay on a literary topic may use more casual language.

 

Look for any factual mistakes and correct them. Editing isn't just about looking for spelling and grammar mistakes. It's also about checking your statements for accuracy.

• For example, maybe you realize you misquoted someone or cited an incorrect set of data. This can then cast doubt on your entire piece of writing. If you don't have the facts right, readers will find it hard to take your main points seriously. Be sure to double-check all of your major claims and citations to ensure that your arguments have the firmest factual foundation possible.

   

Rephrase awkward sentences. Read paragraphs or sections out loud and mark any sentences that sound awkward or wordy. Make sure each sentence is clear and concise. Avoid long, meandering sentences and sentences that don't add anything to the paragraph that contains them.   

 

Don't overuse adverbs and adjectives. Using the hard copy of your manuscript, highlight all the adverbs and adjectives in your manuscript. Then, consider if each one is essential to a sentence or phrase. You don’t need to get rid of all of them, but you should check that they aren’t making a sentence more convoluted or confusing. Adverbs also tend to be wordy and can act as a crutch for writers, as there may be more descriptive language that might work better in a sentence.

Things to Keep in Mind When Writing a Comparison and Contrast Essay

The purpose of a compare and contrast essay is to analyze the differences and/or the similarities of two distinct subjects. A good compare/contrast essay doesn’t only point out how the subjects are similar or different (or even both!). It uses those points to make a meaningful argument about the subjects. While it can be a little intimidating to approach this type of essay at first, with a little work and practice, you can write a great compare-and-contrast essay!

There are many things to pay attention to when writing a comparison and contrast essay. After all, it is the most popular type of assignment in US schools and other educational institutions due to several reasons. It helps develop and improve such important skills as critical thinking, rationality, and understanding. Here are a few things to keep in mind when working on a comparison and contrast essay.

Pick two subjects that can be compared and contrasted. The first step to writing a successful compare and contrast essay is to pick two subjects that are different enough to be compared. There are several things to consider when choosing your subjects:

• You could pick two subjects that are in the same “category” but have differences that are significant in some way. For example, you could choose “homemade pizza vs. frozen grocery store pizza.”
• You could pick two subjects that might appear to be the same but are actually different. For example, you could choose "The Hunger Games movie vs. the book."

Remember to explain the “why.” A common error many writers make is to let the comparisons and contrasts “speak for themselves,” rather than explaining why it’s helpful or important to put them together. Don’t just provide a list of “ways Topic A and Topic B are similar and different.” In your body paragraphs as well as your conclusion, remind your readers of the significance of your evidence and argument.

• For example, in a body paragraph about the quality of ingredients in frozen vs. homemade pizza, you could close with an assertion like this: “Because the ingredients in pizza you make at home are cheap, it can be less expensive for you than frozen pizza. It can also let you express your imagination. Pineapple and peanut butter pizza? Go for it! Using your own ingredients lets you have fun with your food.” Remember about the language. When you say that one of the things is cheap, use the superlative of cheap for another. This type of comment helps your reader understand why the ability to choose your own ingredients makes homemade pizza better.

2) There are several techniques one might use to make their essay more engaging. One of them is creating a Venn diagram after you’ve finished researching but before writing anything down. It is ridiculously easy to make one, but the actual effect of visualizing your arguments is incredible. And if the prospect of actually drawing something terrifies you, try one of the on-line services instead.

3) If you have a more analytical mind, making a classical chart would be more helpful. Each of your columns should be dedicated to one of the subjects you are focusing on. After you have listed all the possible comparison points, eliminate the insignificant ones. Now, you essentially have your paragraphs in front of you!

4) Imagine yourself as the reader and think about the question your audience might want to find the answers to while reading your essay. There are some questions that are very topic specific, so you’ll have to determine what those are on your own. However, the generally accepted ones include the following: What does your professor expect you to write?; Where should the emphasis put?; Why is your topic relevant to?; etc.

5) As mentioned earlier, the structure and content of your essay will depend on who or what your subjects are. If your writing concentrates on physical objects, it might be smart to mention size, height, weight, and other physical characteristics. If you are contrasting the events, try asking yourself what the prerequisites and consequences of those occurrences were or could be. Finally, if your subjects are abstract ideas or theories, you should definitely focus on the people who came up with them, those who adhere to and defend them, as well as what influence they had on the world.

After you’ve finished with all the preparatory steps, it is time for writing. If you’ve followed the suggested course of research and refinement of ideas, the actual process of creating a text should not give you any trouble. Moreover, remember that the first drafts are rarely good, and multiple revisions will only improve your work.

You will have to face and cope with writing comparison and contrast essays at least once during your academic career, so the best thing to do is to use it as an opportunity to learn and improve.