Editing Tricks That Will Help You Bring Your Writing to the Next Level

If you are done with your paper finally, it is a sigh of relief, no doubt. However, there is a reason why you are always told to start your work early; you will need to give a good chunk of time to editing.

If writing is the rest of the recipe, editing is like the seasoning adding the taste. With the right editing, you will be able to make a good impression towards your teacher. Because if they keep finding mistakes within every line, correcting them can frustrate them. Thus, taking away their interest in the material.

Whether it is a novel, a research paper, or just your essay for the finals, you must know that the first draft is always crude. You will need to polish it to give it a shine!

In this excerpt below, we will discuss some of the common ways you could get your writing to a pro-level with editing tricks. 

Editing Tricks From Pro-Researchers

Pro-researchers are not only researching through every nook and cranny of that subject but also editing to get the paper ready for publishing. These papers are published in some of the top journals of the world.

So, here are the editing tricks used by them. 

1. Separate Editing

Your editing should be threefold.

– Editing.

– Proofreading.

– Spelling.

You cannot sit for editing and expect to get all three done at once. You will have to spend separate time for each. So, here is how the editing should go.

– Once you are done writing, keep the paper aside. Do not start editing then and there. You will need the writing to settle and marinate before you pick it up again. This will prevent you from missing out on flaws or excessively criticising your work.

– When you pick it up again, you begin with reformation and omission. This will not include surface-level editing but rather the written matter.

– Next comes your surface editing, which is known as proofreading. The punctuation and grammatical errors.

– Lastly, take a good look at your spelling. There is nothing more embarrassing than making tiny spelling mistakes.

2. Format It All Over Again

Most of the time, you will find something wrong with the formatting. So, we would advise that you do not format your writing early when you are writing. Let it be crude because some mistakes can be fixed.

Now, once you are done typing, print the paper out and then begin formatting. You can even make annotations and notes on the side of the paper, and that should help you understand your writing better.

This is even helpful for your orals. Since you will be asked to enunciate parts of your paper to pass the examination, check out some formats for professional research papers, take inspiration and then start formatting.

Without a doubt, it is a difficult task. So, if you are bombarded with too many essays, here is a solution for you. Divide the work, take some for yourselves, and give a few essays to the professional at essay writing services UK to write for you.

3. Separate Error Column

We all have our own Achilles Heels when we write, whether it is too many spelling errors, lack of punctuation, trouble with pronouns, or something as trivial as double space.

What you need to do is make a note of all these mistakes which you often make. Then once you are done with the rest of the editing and formatting. Simply copy and paste your work into Google Drive, click Ctrl F, and start typing the words of formatting mistakes you are sure of making.

This means you are mindful of checking your writing and not rushing through the editing process. This is an excellent trick which will help you give that extra shine because you are leaving no stone unturned,

4. Read It Out Loud

Often it so happens that writing doesn’t suit our taste later, and we start criticising our writing. Now, you can write it again, but it is not guaranteed that you will like it a second time. Now, you are stuck in this hopeless redundancy where the writing is never good enough.

A good trick to come out of it, appreciate your writing, and only change when necessary is definitely the reading aloud method. Sometimes, reading it in mind makes us think of good writing as bad. So, try reading it out loud and see the change. 

5. Check Facts & Quotes

If it is a research paper or an essay held on the pillars of interesting facts, statistics, and quotes from scholars to support them, then you should take the time to check them again.

If you have too much statistical data or historical facts in your writing, the teacher will check it to verify some. This is proof to you through research, so it is better to give the reader no chance to complain.

So, separately check your historical facts, verbatim sentences in quotations from famous people, statistical data, and quotes from authors and scholars if you have any in your write-up.

6. Do Not Rely Completely On Technology

Yes, you can use tools which can help you through the proofreading process. But, always remember that AI is yet to compete with proofreaders. They will not go out of their way to do anything and rather stick to what their programmers have taught them.

So, whenever you use them, always remember to run through the corrections yourself before submitting your paper. Sometimes, the corrections done by these tools are so bizarre that it will be almost embarrassing for anyone to read it and make sense of it, let alone your teacher. 

Editing Is Important!

Editing is an essential part of writing. When you write, your focus is solely on putting your thoughts into paper. You do not often look through other subject matters. So, if you are writing with full concentration and just submitting a half-hearted edited essay, you might not be getting the marks.

The marks which you thought you deserved for the thorough research and unknown facts you scoured from the internet. 

If it gets too overwhelming for you at times, it is okay to take breaks and take professional help, especially if you have too many essays to write and edit.