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Editing/Revision Tips
By Julie Rowe
- Make notes on your hard copy (I like to use a red pen and highlighter).
- Read your work out loud.
- Use contractions wherever possible.
- Vary sentence structure and length. Stress important points with short or fragmented sentences.
- Vary paragraph length. Create/leave white space every so often to increase the pace and give the reader a visual break.
- Begin and end scenes and chapters with a hook.
- Identify and rewrite crutch words or phrases.
- Do not repeat information.
- Avoid qualifiers where possible, use them sparingly if you must - Actually, finally, really, in fact, almost, very.
- Example #1. Change very important to critical, crucial or central.
- Example #2. Change really angry to outraged or furious.
- Avoid lazy suffixes – ness, ize, ly.
- To be verbs are often over used – am, is, are, was, were, be, being. Use descriptive, powerful, active verbs instead.
- Example: The purpose of the report is to provide a means of comparing production values from different times of the year.
Change To: The report compares production values from different times of the year.
- Remove the word ‘that’ wherever possible.
- Write clearly, don’t sound like a politician.
- Example: The income derived from oil and gas revenue will be allocated to revitalizing the province’s infrastructure.
Change to: The gas tax will pay for highway repair.
- Make sure you’re using it’s correctly. This word is commonly misused. It’s = it is or it has. Its = ownership.
- Watch for overused words, phrases and clichés.
Examples:
- Drastic action
- Back burner
- In no uncertain terms
- Reliable source
- Viable alternative
- Check out the Plain English Campaign website for free lists of clichés, overused words and phrases and examples of plain English writing: http://www.plainenglish.co.uk
- Numbers – figures or words?
In fiction all numbers are expressed in words.
- Correct usage of abbreviations for titles:
- Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth of England
Abbreviation: HRH., Queen Elizabeth.
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