You're the Top": Three Easy Ways To Attract More SearchWrap Readers and Gain Recoginition
Posted: Sunday, October 12, 2008
by Walter Rhett
Charleston Perlo
Cut, cut, cut. Cut and combine! That, in a nutshell, is the writer's most important job: the good writer must learn to edit. Why? Don't my words make sense as they tumble from my mind? Won't editing make my article sound stilted or artifical? Won't editing change my voice?
Careful editing helps the writer strike the right note. It magnifies the power of his or her voice, by getting clutter out of the way. Writing is a process, and the early drafts have to be re-arranged for the reader's ease. Writers think of ideas and stories; editors think of readers. At the other end of the writing process is a person who is eager to delve into what you have to say. Encourage and reward the reader by making your article easy to understand and follow.
The second easy way: change words, make new choices. Proclaim in the paragraph above started out as communicate. Which do you think is better? Did "nutshell" help drive the point? What about, "cut, cut, cut"? Short words rest easy in our heads. Big words add heft. New words are like new clothes, they set your style. I sometime spend fifteen minutes selecting a word, using the thesaurus, flipping form choice to choice. It increases my word power, expands my knowledge, and helps me find a good fit for the reader. Worth the effort, I say!
The third easy way: read your article out loud! The mind slides over phrasing, rhythm, and gammar because it automatically "corrects" what it sees, especially for the writer. Reading out loud lets you change places with the reader. Suddenly, you experience what they experience. What once made sense to you is a bit jumbled, a little unclear--it needs variety or new words. Reading aloud is a self-check for all writers, even the pros. It takes the writer directly to his or her audience, and helps the writer assess the quality of his/her piece. Sound boring? Brigthen it up! Sound brilliant? Quickly hit save! Sounds like it needs more work?
Jump in. Edit!
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Hi Walter, thanks for these tips. I am learning how to get ride of the little words that jumble my sentence and I am learning how to proof-read for spelling errors. Spell check is great for that, but I am learning that I still need to watch closely for the words that are spelled correctly, but are the wrong word to use. I hope you don't mind me asking, but did you purposely leave the typo's in to help prove your point? Thanks again for the tips. Have a blessed dayHA, HA, I'll never tell! Shouldn't a big piece have secrets, and a little mystery to keep people on their toes? Uhhmm m m . . .I wondwer . . . (smiles!)Yes it should :-) Just like I am learning how to "ride" my mistakes. ha!
hi walter,i think this was a very well written, interesting article that i will add to my favorites, so i can review it from time to time. thank you for sharing,best regards,sue thom
I enjoyed this article Walter. Its good to listen and learn. Your article brings me back to basics, and that is good.Joseph
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