Practically Perfect Proofreading And Other Editing Myths

Practically Perfect Proofreading And Other Editing Myths

One of the difficulties a writer faces is reviewing their work in an attempt to locate all errors. There are generally two forces that work against a writer who attempts to ensure their work is error-free.

1. Being too close to the work you have difficulty concentrating on the writing.

2. You know what you want to say so it is possible you read over mistakes simply because your mind only sees your impression of the article.

In order to be effective in proofreading your own material you have to work hard at reading every word…

Refuse to speed through simply because you know what the writing says.

Consider each word, then each phrase and then the context of the thought.

Does the article flow or are there phrases that bog it down?

Check punctuation and grammar.

Look at the headline and make sure it is correct.

Do the above all over again.

Most often the best personal proofing requires multiple readings and ongoing edits. The key to the entire process is discipline – personal and professional discipline.

Check and recheck the facts in your story and when possible allow another set of eyes to proofread your writing. They will likely see things that you missed.

There is another myth that is closely linked to proofreading and that is the myth of the perfect story. Anything we write will either have a shelf life because styles and accepted practices change or we have missed something in the arena of consistency, grammar, spelling or word use.

If we keep a piece of writing under lock and key until such time as we think it’s perfect we will likely find that the article will never see publication. You can go over your article with a fine tooth comb and you are likely to see some error when it is finally published.

Writing should be taken seriously, yet not so seriously that the stress of word crafting removes the joy that caused you to become a writer in the first place.

The best advice may be to simply write your story first and worry about fixing any problems afterward. If you stop writing in the midst of your story in order to correct trouble spots you are likely to lose the spontaneity of the storyline. This can ultimately have a detrimental effect on the overall reading satisfaction of the consumer.

If you have to be a perfectionist wait until the story is complete and then get out your red pen and make a few alterations.

BONUS : Principles To Follow In Copy Writing

Children are fond of copying almost anything they see, especially if it's performed by an adult. Most kids now are familiar with the computer, and the many features of this amazing thing. But copying is not always interpreted with its literal meaning. There's this process which is considered an art in itself that only well-experienced and dedicated persons can do, and this is called copy writing.

What then is copy writing? Since the birth of the internet, there have been a lot of opportunities for people who want to earn money. And copy writing is just one of them. Copy writing is defined as the art or process which involves writing marketing and sales related materials. Its primary objective is to promote a certain person, opinion, business, or idea. Different areas of business like business plans, sales letters, advertising, and other media are using copy writing. Through this process, the business is able to persuade readers or listeners to act.

Copy writing can't be done effectively by just any individual. The person responsible for carrying out this work must follow certain principles, like:

- Knowing your very own product, this is the foundation of effective and efficient copy writing; if you know what your product is, it is easier for you to be passionate and believe in such product. It is quite unethical to sell or advertise something that you haven’t tried yourself.

- Who are your customers? In order to write the best copy writing ever possible, you must know your target customer. Identify the specific person (he/she is an executive or a homemaker), their age range, sex, etc. what you're writing should suit your readers needs and not yourself. Test your website; most prospects leave the site because it is quite confusing or tedious.

- The benefits; your website's home page should not contain your mission; the people cares about what benefits you can give to them whether you can make them rich, entertain, feel better, or save time. If you can catch the reader's interest, then you're at it.

- You have to establish trust; credibility is one thing especially on the net where you can't actually see who your customers are, you can offer free trials, testimonials, guarantee for money back if they are not satisfied, and most of all, never forget to put your contact numbers, email addresses, or you can even put a picture of yourself. Make it appear as if you're sitting beside each other and talking.

- Use short headings since most people only scan a home page; you must be able to grab their attention.

- There are word which you should often not use like if, should, but, could, and the like. It is best for you to use words as proven, free, breakthrough, discover, learn, benefit, complete, first, exclusive, and other positive words. Avoid using too many 'me' or 'I'.

- Make it short but don’t disregard its quality.

- You have to create a sense of urgency, a time limit, for the reader to act immediately.

- You must be able to hook your prospects the very first time they enter your site.

- Grammar, spelling, and formatting; your sales effort can be killed all because of typos. Errors pertaining to grammar, exclamation marks, and caps are a big no in copy writing.

If you incorporate all this principles in copy writing, then it is a sure fire hit.