A Look Into How Editing Can Improve Your Articles

MartinRaymondo

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MartinRaymondo 〰️ 〰️

Professional editing is one of my jobs and something I genuinely love doing. 

Working with various documents, from individuals to companies, is exciting. 

There is something magical about improving upon someone’s words, whether it be an ad campaign or a school paper. 

There are specific niches I don’t delve into, such as an in-depth medical document, as that’s not my expertise. 

I will show you some examples of what kind of edits I do and how to improve them.

Example #1: My dog got sick as he ate a bit of chocolate, so the vet bill turned out to be very expensive.

After editing: My dog got sick after eating chocolate, so the vet bill was expensive.

The original sentence was not wrong; however, it includes words that aren’t necessary. 

Removing “as he ate a bit” and replacing it with “after eating” makes the sentence more concise. 

There is no need to describe that the dog ate a bit of chocolate as you want the reader to figure it out. 

When you say “after eating chocolate,” the reader can decide what that means, giving them a more interactive experience. 

Some readers might think, “Oh, no, they ate an entire bowl,” while others might think they ate only part of a chocolate bar. 

Don’t rob the reader of this experience.

Removing “turned out to be very” also improves the flow of the entire sentence. Most people know vet bills are expensive, so there is no need to emphasize that.

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Example #2: We went to the butterfly gardens and it was very beautiful.

After editing: We went to the lovely butterfly gardens.

In the first sentence, the word very doesn’t need to be there, so removing that one word will make it better. 

The corrected version feels prettier to read, and you can replace the phrase lovely with stunning, gorgeous, and even beautiful.

You can see how making a few simple adjustments to your sentences and words can improve the readability of your work. 

It’s engaging and more effortless to read as it flows better. 

Using big words or poetic sentences isn’t necessary and can turn many readers away. 

I’m sure you’ve read some writer’s work where you felt you weren’t good enough to be reading it. 

That’s not the message you want to put forth in your writing. 

Most people read to a grade 7 reading level, so there is no need to be fancy. That’s my editing style, which has been proven to work over the years.

Let me know if you have any questions; I’d happily answer them.