The E-Word

Let's say you've written something. M'kay?  It's not that far of a stretch.  You're a human being who has had some type of formal education, presumably.  You also have access to the internet since you're reading this.  If you're reading this without internet access, then we need to talk, Secret Agent Person.  Teach me!  As you're linked up to this technological Autobahn we call the internet, I'm also going to take a wild, flying guess and say that you have written emails, Facebook messages, and the like as well.  Basically, if you are human and you are literate, you write things.  Some of these things are for yourself (e.g. shopping lists, to-do lists, or like me, to-do lists for items on your to-list) and some are for other human beings to read.  Poetry, papers for school, short stories, novellas, novels, short answer essay questions for tests, job applications, cover letters, resumes, and letters or emails to individuals, companies, editors of your local newspaper:  all of these make up the body of writing to which we contribute in our lives.  

Writing is meant to be read by someone else.  The only writing that does not follow this rule is personal, private journal entries.  The other someone who reads your writing, your audience, is going to heavily determine how and what you write, but once you have written what you want your audience to read, there is another step you should take before sending, submitting, mailing, or publishing what you've written.  It's the E-word, and I've seen grown adults quail at the thought of submitting themselves to it.  Come a little closer.  

It's called. . . . Editing!

Recent research proves this expression
is insanely common for those
 engaged in editing.  

Why, Sly?  Why?!

I know.  So daunting!  Such a pain, a chore, a task to be abhorred! Editing can be and is a challenging thing to undertake sometimes, but it's not nearly as frightening as the changes wrought upon Sly Stalone's face by his relationship with Human Growth Hormone.  Just saying. . .things could be worse, folks.







As I've shared with you all, I'm currently finishing up my BA in English Education.  I'm also a tutor in my university's writing center.  I figure if I'm going to make a living teaching kids to write, it might help to have some hands on experience under my belt before I dive into my own classroom.  Baptism of fire is great and all that, but it's also rather terrifying.  Additionally, one is likely to come out a tad singed in some cases.  I prefer myself non-singed, so I clock hours helping fellow college students become better writers and produce better written work.  I love it, and it's addicting.

Since I'm a writing tutor, I can report to you from the front lines of the struggle that every writer goes through when they craft something made of words.  I can assure you that after the valiant contest to just GET something on paper, every writer cringes at the thought of going back through and editing their own work.  Editing is one of the challenges of the writing process, but there are somethings I've learned in my time as a tutor that have helped me and helped me help others when it comes to the tasks of writing and editing.  Ready to read about 'em?  They can help you make your decent writing good and your good writing even better! 

Here are some suggestions from my personal experience.  Enjoy!

1.  It's All About the Hard Copy.

For real.  Print off a copy of whatever it is you've written.  This makes editing a lot easier.  For some reason, seeing the words on paper can help you notice mistakes and other issues that more easily go unnoticed when they're on the screen of your favorite word processor.  If your printer has the ability to print front and back, I recommend using that option.  It gets the job done and saves paper.  The rain forests will thank you!

2.  Read That Stuff Out Loud.

This is an invaluable tool that I've learned since becoming a writing tutor.  When you read silently over something that you've written, your mind tends to read it like you meant it instead of how you wrote it.  I do this all the time.  By reading my work aloud, it forces my mind to hear it as well as see it, and that allows me to recognize typos, grammar mistakes, misspellings, and the like much more readily.  When read aloud, these oopses stand out like sore thumbs.  I have a tendency to sometimes double up on prepositions or conjunctions if I pause after one while thinking through how I want to end my sentence.  This results in something like, "I went to the store before he did because because it was important."  See what I did there?  I drives me crazy!  I do it at least two to three times in every paper I write, but reading my draft aloud helps me catch those darn double ups.

3.  Grab a Writing Utensil and USE IT!

  I'm serious.  Grab your favorite pencil or pen and wield it to your little heart's content.  Write comments, put questions marks by areas that don't make sense, or leave instructions for yourself (e.g. "Clarify this," "More explanation here!" "Check grammar," "Ick! Rephrase.").  Mark typos, misspellings, and other errors to correct when you're done marking up your draft.  This is why a print off can be so helpful.  You're able to jot, scribble, and write with abandon, and you can also better spot recurring patterns of errors.  Spotting = Awareness and 

Awareness = Lower Likelihood of Repeating Said Errors.  Always a plus!

4.  Check the Flow, Man. . .

Look at how your writing flows from one idea to another.  How does it sound?  Smooth, scrambled, choppy, or elegantly eloquent?  If scrambled or choppy come to mind,  check your transitions from paragraph to paragraph.  Smooth transitions give your readers an easy ride through your writing instead of a bumpy, pot-holed jaunt that leaves them feeling tired. Writing that flows well can be a joy to read while a piece that makes you work to follow it can be an exercise in perseverance.  

5.  Fix Stuff.

Here is where you get to implement all the great insights you stumbled upon while reading your printed draft out loud while fearlessly marking as you see fit!  Exciting stuff, I know.  This is another reason that using a printed draft can help in the editing process.  Once you have marked up your draft, you now have a road map to follow when navigating the digital file on your computer as you make changes.  I plan to do this on a large scale once I finish the manuscript of my novel.  It makes me tremble in both terror and excitement to think of working my way through a piece of writing this size; however, a writer's gotta do what a writer's gotta do, and a writer's job is to present their work to readers in a form as correct and clear as possible.  It's about reaching your reader, after all.  

There are more specific and different steps that I take when editing depending on whether I'm writing an academic paper or a piece of creative work, and I do believe I'll discuss those in another blog post.  Tips and suggestions are helpful, but I have learned several general things via my life as a tutor so far.  One of which is that tutoring can make you feel like a superhero for small moments.  Given that, I probably need to come up with a name for my superhero alter-ego; however, that's neither here nor there.  More importantly and more applicably, I have also learned that tutors are coaches as much as they are grammar/punctuation/syntax freaks, and a good coach knows when to call it good during a given session.  I'm calling it good for now.  Overload and overkill can undo lots of quality, hard work.  Let's avoid treading that unfortunate road, shall we?  I think it prudent, and this is my blog; therefore, we part here for now, O Reader.

Hopefully, this little list has been helpful, informative, entertaining, or at least boredom reducing in some capacity.  If you have trouble working through this list, periodically scroll back up to look at Sly's HGH augmented face.  That'll shock you back into consciousness.  Once coherent again, let me know 1) what tips or strategies YOU employ when editing and 2) any suggestions you might have for my super-tutor-hero name.  I'm coming up empty.  Until next time, here's a writerly blessing for you all:

May your quill never run dry.  May random keys on your keyboard never fink out.  May your documents never NOT save, and may the muses never fail to visit as you work to convey the truth you see about you. 

Type and/or scribble happily, my friends!