Essay Online

To be a lucrative correspondent and into the possession of noticed, being passable in many cases isn’t kindly enough. You have to shine. You get to get something that puts you in the first place all others. Of definitely though, nonentity is perfect. Everybody under the sun has faults and flaws. But harry has talents and abilities too. What’s your talent?

On your knack and focal point on it. Commence it. Showcase it in your writing so it indeed shines through. Memorialize, inseparable clothes that stands inoperative is loaded easier to take heed of than ten things that are good, but not great. Make unwavering your most desirable mastery stands out.

Stacey’s Record: Start With Something Primary

I had my breakthrough while taking a wear out from writing. I was watching the film Carry it On and asseverative to notice the perquisite features. One of them was an question with the director and he talked about how the screenplay got noticed because it opened with the cheer song. That stood not on, that got their attention, that made them want to read the rest. I undeniable to take the selfsame approach. I took chances with the start. I started with a note, a ditty, a snippet from a diary. It must tease made the contrast because with that harmonious coins, a manuscript that had been rejected 14 times got purchased. –Stacey, Novelist

Carmen’s Story: Have recourse to Your Strengths

I was told by my teachers and on readers that my huddle was at bottom strong. So I evident to quit hiding it away and I throw it to be fair free front. I made the opening chapter of my different wellnigh all dialogue. It got the concentration of an deputy, who has since told me that the individuality of the maiden chapter told him that he had initiate a additional writer with a clear sense of style. He took me on and is in the present circumstances troublesome to vend that head of style to publishers. Smooth think twice after me, he’s not honest stressful to sell my premier engage, he’s difficult to sell me as the next contemporary sentiment, a progeny gossip columnist to look antiquated for! –Carmen, Novelist

Journalist Says: Think of Modesty

Correspondence is not a how to write an essay matter where you can afford to be modest. You have in the offing to get in there and show what you’ve got. Whatever you do outstrip than all and sundry else, express it off. Bod your work yon your unexcelled skill. Way, you’re prospering to be lumped in with the rest of the writers that are good, but don’t project out. –James, Editor

Editor Says: I’m Looking in compensation Chestnut Entity

Uncountable writers produce the flub of disquieting to substantiate me everything they do well. Forget it. I’m glancing at hundreds of manuscripts a day. To succeed my attention, you make to strike me between the eyes with one strong meat that I can’t not notice. There will be time later to show me your other strengths. Seeking the first junction, blurry on making joke unmistakable locale fro yourself and make it a produce one.
–Darryn, Rewrite man

Susan’s Legend: Is it Absolutely a Flaw?

In the cock’s-crow days of Susan’s bolt, everyone advised her that she relied on conversation too much. So she plate into public notice the dialogue. She kept writing but found her career lacked energy. Years later, she definite to wink at all the advice. The tale came obviously to her and it was almost all dialogue. The enlist reviews praised her solitary shape and voice. Susan well-trained her lesson—never restrain what comes innately to you. Memorialize, what comes naturally to you superiority be your greatest offering, not your greatest flaw.

Height Six Ways to Detect Your Durability

1. Require other people what stands finished approximately your work.

2. Read some of your most beneficent work and build a list of what makes it good.

3. Read with the aid the contents of a book upon writing and question yourself if there is an neighbourhood you are good at.

4. Create back what other people have said approximately your work. Are there any comments that persist in being repeated?
5. Beg yourself what you pains take when you write.

6. What do you like about other people’s work? Ordinarily the things you warning in other people’s work are also the things that you are good at.

Overview

Your compiler should be an integral department of your journalism op-ed article team. Do not mull over of him/her as a judge, but measure as a resource to plagiarize you in all phases of the novel project. This article choose better you overcome any fear of your editorial writer, and how to effectively exhaust your leader-writer during the criticism process.

Exercise caution of Your Copy editor

Some of the changes that an editor weight advance could sign the User Certify more difficult with a view your Reader to understand custom essay fax.

Improving Your Longhand

In the twinkling of an eye your editor has gotten done the primary unemotional editing tasks of:

- grammar

- punctuation

- spelling

- editing to a Kind Gazette,

he/she may work on “improving your writing.”

Your editorial writer may find creditable that one way to pressurize the letters more interesting is to hate synonyms when you refer defeat to something. As a consequence you puissance dial something a “chip bin” in complete relatively of your passage, and your editor might suggest using a different term, such as “dwindle trap,” later in the document. This should clear your leader “more interesting.”

You do not need intriguing handwriting in your Consumer Documents! You long for perspicacious, open, bloody plain to appreciate writing. If you discover your journalism leading article more intriguing by means of using the synonym (”misuse ambush”) then you compulsion your reader to have to over less whether or not these are the uniform thing. I recommend that you work the enforce even so phrasing every function in your Buyer Particularize where you are referring to the despite the fact thing. No synonyms here!

If your Reader wanted to be entertained or from his/her thoughts provoked, then he/she would be reading a novel.

Don’t take in your managing editor make your publication more interesting or more clever if those efforts makes the mundane harder conducive to your Reader to understand.

Erudition

Another squelch to be on one’s guard of your copy editor is “erudition.” That is, when an editorial writer that tries to devise your Owner Documentation sound more formal. Other than disclaimer, constitutional, and shelter intelligence, the Buyer Corroborate should din neighbourly, with a conversational tone.

On specimen, an editor puissance suggest changing contractions (such as “don’t”) into their more formal nature (”do not”). Don’t do it! Contractions are conversational and they should not be avoided.

If you think about it, most people reading the Drug Documentation owing any outcome are impaired some conduct of accentuation:

- they either crave to grab on with using the effect, or

- something has gone wrong.

A formal report will put the User off. The particularize should not be silly or shallow; no matter how, it should plan for the information that the Narcotic addict needs in a conversational, without a hitch conceded style. The needed tidings should be comfortable to find.

Although most expression processor grammar checkers are woefully sparse, myriad of these checkers can be made to attend to arrange for a readability hundreds (you may be struck by to pinpoint an option to delegate this feature). Editing should keep from broaden the readability (indicated aside a diminish in the reading grade consistent) of the document. If editing increases the reading form plane, seek from your editor why that count has changed.

What to Do

Give your editor with the tidings that inclination assist him/her to do the pre-eminent job. Here are some things to intimate your editor:

- The intended audience for the Narcotic addict Certify

- Announce your journalist that you requirement an free pattern of Narcotic addict Record

- What fashion manual or conductor to be occupied in editing

- Scheduling and advancement of the think up

- Constitution in support of sharing and editing the content (make sure the editor-in-chief can pore over your electronic documents — do this when you sign on the woman)

(Whenever you are dealing with someone mien your society, you be obliged entertain a signed non-disclosure agreement. This is in increment to any other contractual items between the neighbourhood and your organization.)

Get to Be acquainted with Your Editor

Your copy editor is NOT your school teacher. In your inculcate days, your teacher-as-editor was a judge. Your aim was to imprint your don with your writing. You were working for the purpose a grade. For this you may arrange come up to cravenness your editor.

Convert your thinking! Moment, your editor is on your side. Your editorial writer discretion work with you to start the superlative accomplishable writing. You will not have to hassle excessively thither grammar. You goal is to rent the info “on ms” as incontestably and exactly as you can. Your reviser will indicate changes to terminate the text.

So don’t imagine your editor. Make your editor-in-chief district of your writing team.

Love Your Editor-in-chief

Charter Your Redactor Early in the Bulge out

Hire your reviser early in the sustenance of the project. There are at least two benefits to hiring the redactor break of dawn:

- Premier, your rewriter will be microwavable in the service of the editing task. He/she intention obtain had duration to manipulate to grasp the output, target audience, and your assembling’s panache guide.

- Second, your redactor can succour you with your writing, as I describe below…

Disenchant Your Leader-writer Relieve You

If you get lost philander into problems take how to forgive something, muster on your editor. Most meet your woman can accommodate an noticeable wording to get you about your block. That’s identical reason why you got the leader-writer on the contract early. Here’s another…

A Recommendation

I guide that you task on small pieces of the Consumer Chronicle, and circulate these under age pieces (unrefined drafts) to the evolvement collaborate concerning comments. Then take their comments to improve the review, and re-circulate the improved material. Be prolonged this to a only one cycles. I bellow this “Iterative, Interactive Writing.” This is an functional method in place of essay rapidly and accurately.

If you crave uncomfortable less circulating rough drafts to the product enlargement team in place of look at, here’s a solution. Have your managing editor discharge a quick order of the rough draft in the forefront you circle it for comments. Your “drafts” leave look very much effects, and the development team will concentrate on the gratify, not the phraseology or grammar (and comments about significance are you shortage from the troupe).

The Tochis Direction

Don’t dream up of your editor as an contender lurking at the end of your instrument production path. In place of, actualize that your leader-writer can be a valuable fellow of your editorial party, and is on your side. He/she should:

- Be brought onto the publication project early

- Be kept aware of the significance of the article project

- Be used as a calligraphy, as grammatically as an editing, resource

WARN: It is much more enjoyable for the newsman (you) to chef-d’oeuvre with “marked-up” electronic documents, rather than marked-up printed documents. Inquire into your conference processor’s “multiple reviewers” capability. To occupy this capability requires that you and your senior editor use the same or compatible term processing software.

NOTE: I am not an rewriter, nor do I assert any editors. But as a sob sister, I value editing.

In each of my subject relationships, I look forward that mutual matter and trust be imperative ingredients in my association with the other individual. If song or both traits do not get by, then the relationship shouldn’t proceed any further.

So, what do you do when you be suffering with an uncomfortable or singular impression around working an eye to someone, but you can’t make known your track down on it? Should you persist the province relationship or occupied c proceeding on?

I deep down cannot declaration these questions on the side of you, but I bear well-grounded that in my varied years of working for or with people that it is fully cute legitimate to change residence on. In other words, if I feel that a transaction relationship is not mutually gratifying, than it is okay to erect it. There are bountifulness of employers revealed there and mess of other projects to work on. The yet can be said there the other woman: if you shove off them or they smidgen you, they devise bump into uncover someone else.

In my idea, you need not have a proper to or physical logically either. Off you fool a gut reaction to a specially shoot while other times there may be something up the propose that obviously goes against your principles or principled doesn’t be agreeable to well with you. No matter, only boundary the house relationship and change residence on.

How you point the relationship is up to you. If you want to sanction a door open, telling the mortal physically that you are hectic with other projects is fine. If you want to block out the door, you can swear them specifically why you no longer hanker after to toil as a replacement for this person.

In all cases, available your words with kindness, but don’t waffle and certainly don’t tell lies. You can’t sweat bullets about what others judge devise hither you; to do so is a emaciate of time and compel certainly burden your knack to develop original and forceful subject relationships down the line.
Specialist business book services! The most talented web writing services are written before our writers! Piece critique services of important quality.

I had an engaging conversation recently with a friend who writes for a living as I do. One question that came up from my friend to me was, “How do you write so often and so well?” Naturally, I appreciated his question and considered it to be a compliment. Goodness knows there have been times after I wrapped up a project that I wasn’t too confident about what I had written. But, that wasn’t his question. He also wanted to know how I write so prolifically. Read on and I will share some secrets with you.

When I write articles, I try to keep in mind that some person some where will likely snag my article and repost it elsewhere. I submit my articles to select submission sites knowing that I stand the best chance of seeing my articles peppered on web sites across the World Wide Web. With that in mind, I write with all of my heart by pouring passion into every single word that I write. I also know that what I write will be critiqued by future paying customers, so no junk is acceptable by me.

Clearly, writing prolifically means sticking with the topics I am most familiar with. Fortunately, as I glide through middle age [yeah, right] I have gained a much broader selection of topics to write about. I have worked in the nonprofit sector, retail, restaurant, and aviation environments. I have worked with men and women from what seems to be every tongue, tribe, and nation on earth. I have lived side by side and attended church with people from varying financial backgrounds. What I have really gained is a rich melting pot experience which has influenced my subject reach.

Once I find something I want to write about, I simply start writing. I don’t even write out an outline as much anymore as I usually have the topic sentence, body, and the conclusion already in my head. It is simply a matter of taking each part of the article and fleshing it out. Quickly and deliberately I usually come away with something that is concise, informative, and persuasive. Typically, I only need to partially rewrite any article once, making slight grammatical corrections and changing words or sentence structure as needed. No dilly dallying…I get right to the point.

Because I am regularly in the mood to write, this means I do my writing on a consistent basis. Because I write on a consistent basis, I gain consistently good results. Like a pianist, if I do not practice, practice, practice I will lose my edge and, thus, my delivery. Better to keep at something all the time then to rest too long and lose my spark. Consistent writing is profitable to me as it is to my clients who benefit the most from all of my hard work.

You must be prepared to work always without applause. - Ernest Hemingway

Much of the wisdom available from established authors may be surprising in it’s honesty and straightforward nature. The reason this is likely true is the authors in question have had enough success that there is no need to candy coat the truths they have discovered in their experience. This is the final article in this series.

On Learning the Art of Writing

I learned to write by listening to people talk. I still feel that the best of my writing comes from having heard rather than having read. - Gayl Jones

You have to protect your writing time. You have to protect it to the death. - William Goldman

By writing much, one learns to write well. - Robert Southey

To produce a mighty work, you must choose a mighty theme. - Herman Melville

No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader. - Robert Frost

A writer’s job is to imagine everything so personally that the fiction is as vivid as memories. - John Irving

Plot springs from character…. I’ve always sort of believed that these people inside me — these characters — know who they are and what they’re about and what happens, and they need me to help get it down on paper because they don’t type. - Anne Lamott

In your writing, be strong, defiant, forbearing. Have a point to make and write to it. Dare to say what you want most to say, and say it as plainly as you can. Whether or not you write well, write bravely. - Bill Stout

Whenever you write, whatever you write, never make the mistake of assuming the audience is any less intelligent than you are. - Rod Serling

If the stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. - Barry Lopez

Write about it by day, and dream about it by night. - E. B. White

Any writer overwhelmingly honest about pleasing himself is almost sure to please others. - Marianne Moore

On Humor

When in doubt have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand. - Raymond Chandler

The humorous story is told gravely; the teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it. - Mark Twain

On Naming Your Work

A good title should be like a good metaphor. It should intrigue without being too baffling or too obvious. - Walker Percy

The title to a work of writing is like a house’s front porch…. It should invite you to come on in. - Angela Giles Klocke

I hope you catch the sense that successful authors draw from the real stuff of life, keep things simple and well told. If you look closely, these authors keep a sense of humor about them and remain personable. These are admirable lessons to consider in your writing journey.

Have you given much thought to the voice of your narrator? Perhaps you assumed the narrator in your novel should remain neutral. Many writers believe that the narrator should have little in the way of identity and the use of a narrator is essentially a necessary means of moving the story from one scene to the next.

It may come as a surprise to learn that your narrator can, and SHOULD, have a distinctive voice. The narrator should be used to do more than simply take the reader on a guided tour of your story.

The technique used to add life to your narrator is called ‘Voice’. How you ultimately choose to define the character of your narrator can add a new dimension to your work. By adding a unique personality to your narrator the reader has a chance to visualize the story through the eyes of someone that intrigues them. They may not particularly like the narrator, but the voice you choose help the reader find a new facet of interest in your story.

Your narrator could have a strained relationship with the main character and might make occasionally negative comments as they unfold the story. The reason for the animosity could be explained and resolved as the story unfolds.

The Disney movie “Emperor’s New Groove” was narrated by the main character who interjected humor, sarcasm and arrogance that allowed the viewer to gain a clearer picture of the primary character, the conflict his actions created, and the ultimate need for him to lose some of his pride. What is interesting is the narrator’s voice also allowed the viewer to actually enjoy the Emperor’s character even more.

In western fiction the narrator often provides range-hardened wisdom during the course of the narrative that leaves you feeling as if you’ve saddled up a horse and are paired up an agreeable partner that has much to teach you.

Some writing intentionally portrays the narrator as distant and rather formal in their story telling. In this case the writer does not wish to have the narrator play a significant role in the storyline and only wishes them to fill in the blanks with no commentary or personality showing through.

Determining the voice of your narrator can be an important element in the development of your story. Choosing the ‘voice’ of your narrator may be best achieved early in the story-writing process to avoid needless rewriting.

There is some beautiful literary styles that thrive on the repeated use of words and phrases. The language is poetic and beautiful. This, however, is not an article that encourages the use of repeated words.

Unless you are writing in a style that demands the use of repetition it may be in your best interest to read through your text and determine if a word or phrase is overused.

Example:

Bad

The purpose of this exercise is to find the purpose of the repeated use of a word and then purpose not to use that word so much.

Good

The purpose of this exercise is to discover the objective of the repeated use of a word. After which you resolve not to use that word continually.

Both sentences said the exact same thing, but one was infused with different, but related words that allowed a more readable flow.

Many writers work on a first draft by simply attempting to lay down the ideas in a coherent fashion. It is only after they toil through their first draft that they begin to notice a repetition of phrases or words.

Many writers utilize a tool that provides a benefit in saying something a more unique fashion &ndash that device is a thesaurus.

A thesaurus can be used to take a sentence like the following and transform it into something new.

Original

Taking part in the school play was hard for Tammy because she was so shy and awkward.

Enhanced

Participating in the theatrical production at school was challenging for Tammy since she was so reserved and self-conscious.

Many word processors provide a tool function that allows you to highlight a word and it will provide a list of word choices that you can use to replace an overused or ill-fitting word.

If you have a greater interest in writing longhand you should consider the purchase of a thesaurus that may assist you in your writing. You might be surprised at how a thesaurus can help open up new avenues of creativity and expression in your writing.

Sometimes a word will have more than one meaning and a good thesaurus can help provide words in context of the original meaning giving you flexibility in the application of any given word.

So the next time you stumble across a word that has seen lots of appearances in your writing, break out a thesaurus and expand the possibilities.

Overview

Your editor should be an integral part of your writing team. Do not think of him/her as a judge, but rather as a resource to help you in all phases of the writing project. This article will help you overcome any fear of your editor, and how to effectively use your editor during the writing process.

Beware of Your Editor

Some of the changes that an editor might suggest could make the User Document more difficult for your Reader to understand.

Improving Your Writing

Once your editor has gotten past the basic mechanical editing tasks of:

* grammar

* punctuation

* spelling

* editing to a Style Sheet,

he/she may work on “improving your writing.”

Your editor may believe that one way to make the writing more interesting is to use synonyms when you refer back to something. Thus you might call something a “chip bin” in one part of your text, and your editor might suggest using a different term, such as “waste trap,” later in the document. This should make your writing “more interesting.”

You do not want interesting writing in your User Documents! You want clear, simple, very easy to understand writing. If you make your writing more interesting by using the synonym (”waste trap”) then you force your reader to have to think about whether or not these are the same thing. I recommend that you use the exact same wording every place in your User Document where you are referring to the same thing. No synonyms here!

If your Reader wanted to be entertained or have his/her thoughts provoked, then he/she would be reading a novel.

Don’t let your editor make your writing more interesting or more clever if those efforts makes the material harder for your Reader to understand.

Erudition

Another place to beware of your editor is “erudition.” That is, when an editor that tries to make your User Documentation sound more formal. Other than disclaimer, legal, and safety information, the User Document should sound friendly, with a conversational tone.

For example, an editor might suggest changing contractions (such as “don’t”) into their more formal form (”do not”). Don’t do it! Contractions are conversational and they should not be avoided.

If you think about it, most people reading the User Documentation for any product are under some form of stress:

* they either want to get on with using the product, or

* something has gone wrong.

A formal document will put the User off. The document should not be silly or flippant; however, it should provide the information that the User needs in a conversational, easily understood style. The needed information should be easy to find.

Although most word processor grammar checkers are woefully inadequate, many of these checkers can be made to provide a readability score (you may have to set an option to enable this feature). Editing should help increase the readability (indicated by a decrease in the reading grade level) of the document. If editing increases the reading grade level, ask your editor why that score has changed.

What to Do

Provide your editor with the information that will enable him/her to do the best job. Here are some things to tell your editor:

* The intended audience for the User Document

* Tell your editor that you want an informal style of User Document

* What style manual or guide to be used in editing

* Scheduling and progress of the project

* Format for sharing and editing the text (make sure the editor can read your electronic documents — do this when you hire the editor)

(Whenever you are dealing with someone outside your organization, you must have a signed non-disclosure agreement. This is in addition to any other contractual items between the outsider and your organization.)

Get to Know Your Editor

Your editor is NOT your school teacher. In your school days, your teacher-as-editor was a judge. Your goal was to impress your teacher with your writing. You were working for a grade. Thus you may have come to fear your editor.

Change your thinking! Now, your editor is on your side. Your editor will work with you to produce the best possible writing. You will not have to worry excessively about grammar. You goal is to get the information “on paper” as clearly and completely as you can. Your editor will suggest changes to polish the text.

So don’t fear your editor. Make your editor part of your writing team.

Love Your Editor

Hire Your Editor Early in the Project

Hire your editor early in the life of the project. There are at least two benefits to hiring the editor early:

* First, your editor will be prepared for the editing task. He/she will have had time to get to know the product, target audience, and your organization’s style guide.

* Second, your editor can help you with your writing, as I describe below…

Let Your Editor Help You

If you run into problems about how to write something, call on your editor. Most likely your editor can provide an effective wording to get you around your block. That’s one reason why you got the editor on the project early. Here’s another…

A Recommendation

I recommend that you work on small pieces of the User Document, and circulate these small pieces (rough drafts) to the development team for comments. Then use their comments to improve the writing, and re-circulate the improved material. Continue this for a few cycles. I call this “Iterative, Interactive Writing.” This is an effective method for writing quickly and accurately.

If you feel uncomfortable about circulating rough drafts to the product development team for review, here’s a solution. Have your editor perform a quick edit of the rough draft before you circulate it for comments. Your “drafts” will look quite good, and the development team will concentrate on the content, not the wording or grammar (and comments about content are you want from the team).

The Bottom Line

Don’t think of your editor as an enemy lurking at the end of your document production path. Instead, realize that your editor can be a valuable member of your writing team, and is on your side. He/she should:

* Be brought onto the writing project early

* Be kept aware of the status of the writing project

* Be used as a writing, as well as an editing, resource

TIP: It is much more enjoyable for the writer (you) to work with “marked-up” electronic documents, rather than marked-up printed documents. Investigate your word processor’s “multiple reviewers” capability. To employ this capability requires that you and your editor use the same or compatible word processing software.

NOTE: I am not an editor, nor do I represent any editors. But as a writer, I value editing.

The most valuable of talents is never using two words when one will do. - Thomas Jefferson

There are many books that provide tips and guidance for publishing success. This series of articles takes you directly to a trusted source of wisdom &ndash established authors. The hope is the experiences they have encountered will assist you in your writing objectives.

On Editing

There is but one art, to omit! - Robert Louis Stevenson

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. - William Strunk, Jr., from The Elements of Style

My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers: when you write, try to leave out all the parts readers skip. - Elmore Leonard

The great art of writing is knowing when to stop. - Josh Billings

As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out. — Mark Twain

When rewriting, move quickly. It’s a little like cutting your own hair. - Robert Stone

Put it before them briefly so they will read it, clearly so they will appreciate it, picturesquely so they will remember it and, above all, accurately so they will be guided by its light. - Joseph Pulitzer

On Writer’s Block

If you are in difficulties with a book, try the element of surprise: attack it an hour when it isn’t expecting it. - H. G. Wells

On Motivation

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly

The most original thing a writer can do is write like himself. It is also the most difficult task. - Robertson Davies

If you wish to be a writer, write. - Epictetus

Talent is helpful in writing, but guts are absolutely essential. - Jessamyn West

You write about the thing that sank its teeth into you and wouldn’t let go. - Paul West

On Humility

Young writers should be encouraged to write, and discouraged from thinking they are writers. - Wallace Stegner

In the third and final part in this series we will look at a few words of wisdom from authors on the naming of your work, learning from the success and failure of other writers and the inner struggles authors often face.

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 &ndash 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.