6 Ways You Should Revise Your Writing, Every Time
When someone tells you a piece you’ve written doesn’t
“flow well,” it can be maddeningly unspecific. But there’s good news: it’s
surprisingly easy to fix. We’ve all heard the same advice before: read your
work aloud, sleep on it, always proofread, etc. That’s all good guidance, but
as an editor, I prefer a more analytical approach to writing—so I’ve
assembled a few concrete tips to tighten your prose, improve your overall flow,
and produce clear, easy-to-read copy. After you’ve written a first draft,
follow these steps:
1. Reduce “to be” verbs.
If a piece of copy feels wordy, weighed down, or
difficult to read, it’s often because you’ve gotten carried away with “to
be” verbs. These include be,am, is, are, was, were, being,
and been. “To be” verbs overload copy because they require
secondary verbs. Often you can eliminate “to be” verbs by getting straight to
your action verb. For example, instead of saying “I’m not able to do that,” you
could say, “I can’t do that.” By following this principle, you’ll streamline
your prose.
2. Limit prepositions.
Just like reducing “to be” verbs, axing prepositions tightens your writing. Try to limit yourself to one
or two prepositional phrases per sentence. Using more than that can make
sentences long and difficult
to follow. If you overuse prepositions, brainstorm
other ways to write sentences and break up ideas. Some prepositions are
unavoidable—and you shouldn’t try to eliminate them completely—but use them
sparingly.
3. Vary sentence structures.
Even the best writers tend to lean on favorite
words, phrases, and sentence structures. For readers, however, this
type of repetition leads to disinterest. To combat
reader boredom, vary the way you start your sentences. In the process, you
can usually write better transitions and improve sentence-level cadence. Think
of sentence length as another technical instrument in your writing toolkit—a
way to mindfully emphasize certain points and de-emphasize others.
4. Avoid noun strings.
A noun
string is exactly what it sounds like: too
many nouns in a row. Noun strings can be difficult to avoid, especially in
business or technical writing. And sometimes it’s impossible to dodge both noun
strings and prepositions, so you’re forced to choose whichever sounds
best. The important thing is to be aware of them and how they affect your
writing. Unpack your noun strings, write them in different ways, and read
sentences out loud to find the smoothest path.
5. Cut unnecessary words.
Check your work for redundancy, excessive modifiers,
and empty words. If you repeat similar ideas in more than one sentence,
try to condense. Be wary of words like modifiers—adjectives or
adverbs that describe nouns. Focus on clarity, and ask yourself if each
modifier enhances your meaning. Likewise, cut phrases such as in my
opinion, kind of, actually, truly,basically, and definitely.
By cutting unnecessary words, you’ll emphasize your main points, instead of
burying the lead.
6. Examine the cohesion.
Editing for cohesion means seeing how each sentence and
paragraph contributes to the overall whole. Each line should build
off the previous one, and paragraphs should begin with topic sentences,
gently leading the reader along a journey to the conclusion. On both the
sentence and paragraph level, use transitional phrases and reference
old information before introducing anything new, so the reader can easily
follow along.
Good writing doesn’t have to be guesswork or natural-born
talent. It simply takes time. Your revision process should, in part,
become a scavenger hunt, complete with the knowledge of what you should
look to eliminate and reword. Whether you’re a professional writer or
someone who dreads putting words together, if you follow these six simple
steps, your writing will improve tremendously.
BY ASHLEY WALTON
http://www.lifehack.org/356122/6-ways-you-should-revise-your-writing-every-time?mid=20160127&ref=mail&uid=687414&feq=daily
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