I edit and re-edit my articles zillion times! Is that normal?
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Hi folks,
Every time I write an article, I spell check it. Then, I revise it twice before publishing. Later on, when I read it, I keep discovering silly mistakes over and over. Have you ever faced this problem? What is the workaround (if any!)?
It is no wonder why even native English speaking writers hire editors! Anyway, I hope you have a helpful advise for me. Thanks in advance for your help :)
Answers to this question:Believe me, you edit your articles less frequently than the norm for writers who care about what they write. Fortunately, for the writers we trust, it's not hard to just click a button that says "Approve" even though we know you'll be back to edit again.
For myself, I think it sharpens my senses to publish an article that's not completely finished. I think there's an adrenaline rush that makes me think, "People are reading this! I need to make it perfect!" Then I edit it like crazy and find errors that I never saw before.
Fortunately the Internet isn't like traditional publishing means, and we can edit all day without really causing any issues.
I love your answer for 2 reasons:
1- You managed to find something positive about the same issue that was irritating me!
2- Again, I realized that I am not alone :).
You know, the owner of socialmediaexaminer.com is so keen about the quality of guest posts that he hands every post to 5 different editors to revise before publishing!
Re-editing so many times is not an issue for writing articles in a friendly environment like WryteStuff but when it comes to selling eBooks, readers will have zero tolerance for silly mistakes! I guess hiring a couple of editors will be an absolute must in this case.
You know, it suddenly occurred to me now that perhaps if I read the article out loud, I may discover more mistakes early on. Thanks for helping out :)
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You're not alone, Heba. In my case I know that my fingers don't keep with my thoughts and I leave out or misspell words. In what I call a writing stutter I type a word twice.
Spell check and grammar check help but they don't catch "form" where intended "from" or "he" where I intended "the." If the timeline allows I do better on the editing if I leave it lay overnight. Then when I come back to it I read slowly and methodically. If read quickly then I read thoughts instead of individual words and miss the errors.
There is a writer on Wryte Stuff named Al Case. Look him up. He says that he doesn't require much editing on his writing, but then, he is a very seasoned writer.
His brother's name is, Justin.......
I couldn't agree more, Marlin. A spell checker help is so limited. Yes I do "write stutter" sometimes but MS Word is intelligent enough to let me know :).
I will make sure to check out AI Case and seek his advise. Thanks for sharing :)
Thank you, Heba!
I wish I had your problem. When I write something, that's it. I post it as it is written and after I've posted it, then I'll make some minor changes, spelling errors or something that doesn't make sense, but for the most part everything I post is in the 'draft' stage. If I edited my material I would never publish anything because I'm sure I would want to keep changing over and over again.
I'm not sure if this is feasible, but I see that you're in Eqypt (or at least that's what your flag says) and you're writing in English. Is it possible for you to write in your native language and then have Google translate your material to English? Or is you native language 'English'? :)
You might also try something else. Post just one article to WryteStuff as soon as you've written, without making any corrections and let the readers edit the material. I'm sure if you indicate the primary reason you are posting is for the readers to edit, you will see whether or not others view the material as needing considerable editing.
Good luck,
Pat Johnson
I love your last paragraph. That's a great idea I will give it a go :)
I thought that the reason I am struggling with editing had to do with the fact that I am a non-native speaker but many natives here are assuring me that they have the same issue.
In addition, I am Canadian/Egyptian. I lived in Toronto 5 years and graduated from the American University in Cairo. This background enabled me to sharpen my English to some extent.
I love writing in Arabic and I have an Arabic blog but when I the English mood kicks in, I write in English from the get go. I have never translated my writings to either language and I guess I never will since each language has its own flavor.
Thanks a lot for the great tips :)
It's very normal for writers who are serious about their work, Heba! First you get your ideas out. Then you have to shape them. Writing is really about re-writing, I reckon, and the more you edit your own work, the better your writing becomes.
There's no quick and easy route to good writing!
I agree, Jennifer. I guess I needed the reassurance of everyone here that what I am going through is a fair price I have to pay to become a great writer.
Thank you :).
I do the same thing Heba! I can use advice too.
Welcome to the club, Steve :).
Let me sum up to you the great answers I received form fellow WryteStuffers:
* Check out an absolutely awesome writer (Al Case) who is a very seasoned writer but he doesn't edit much. I got to know him and he is amazing. If you don't know him yet, go ahead and give him a shout. You will be glad you did :)
* It is a good idea to edit your work one day after writing it so when you get to read it, you have a fresh mind.
* Read your article out loud as this can help you discover silly mistakes much easier
* Write an article and do NOT edit it and ask fellow WryteStuffers to give editorial advise.
* Finally, multiple edits is a sign of a keen writer and is very common. It is a fair price we have to pay to become great writers. I hope this helps :).
Total Answers: 6, Total Page Views: 601.Normal; for me at least. I overlook stuff when I read it for the 20th time then spot it later when I go back. Anyone who imagines their writing doesn't need further editing is not realistic. The piece is a living thing and yo constantly see ways to make it better.
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