4 Helpful Self-Editing Tips

If you follow the blog religiously, you know that I’ve given various writing tips already. So, let’s now proceed to self-editing tips. Blog writing can be tough, but editing is tougher. Contrary to popular belief, editing isn’t just correcting errors and deleting unnecessary sentences. The truth is that editing is more of seeing the blog post as a whole. Is it cohesive? Is it purposeful? Is it understandable?

Below are 4 important tips you need to know when you are self-editing your blog post:

• Tip 1: Avoid redundancy.

  • Once you have you completed your blog post draft, read it again and check for words that are clearly recurring. Try to replace these words with their synonyms to avoid obvious repetition.
  • Almost every writer has that word he frequently uses when he needs immediate support. We tend to repeat certain words or phrases when we are out of ideas.
  • No matter how hard you try avoid it, you just can’t not use your “go-to” word. The best solution would be to identify what are your “go-to” words are so that you will be aware every time it repeats. Try to lessen its recurrence and consult a thesaurus if you need to look for similar terms.

• Tip 2: Read it aloud!

  • It is important to read your work out loud because if your blog post sounds awkward to you, there’s something wrong with the flow. The whole article should sound natural and straightforward. If there are any hiccups, it would clearly stand out. So, don’t feel weird about it because your blog post will be  a lot better if you get rid of the obstacles that seems off and overdone. Repeat the process until the post sounds apt and uniformly neat.

• Tip  3: Ask your friends to read it aloud.

  • If you are still a newbie blogger, asking a friend or co-worker might help you a lot! If your work sounds good to you, but does it have the same effect on others? Do other people find the flow polished and smooth too?
  • Your friends need not to be expert linguists because the purpose of this is NOT to search for grammatical or typographical errors. In reality, you just need their honest opinion regarding the flow of your work, and ask them if it does make perfect sense. Do they get your point? Is it too lengthy? Is the message clear? Is the solution you’re giving actually helpful? You need a fresh pair of eyes to answer these questions and  your teammates can help you with that.

• Tip 4: Keep it simple.

  • It’s just a blog. You do not need to overanalyze it. Your readers will easily get your point if you keep the sentences shorter. Remember that you are blogging in order to offer some help and your purpose is NOT to confuse people.
  • You will be driving them away if you will present your thoughts and ideas in a very lengthy manner. The length does not define the usefulness of the article. It boils down to its ability to offer concrete solutions.
  • It is your job as a blogger to let people know about certain things. They won’t learn from your if you keep overwhelming them with enormous chunks of highfalutin words. Keep the sentences and paragraphs short. So, whether your audience is a 5th grader or a college student, they will still get your point.