Summary

The website content provides a comprehensive 5-point editing checklist designed to enhance writing quality efficiently, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and reader engagement.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of editing in transforming writing from ordinary to extraordinary. It outlines a personal journey from time-consuming, haphazard editing to a systematic approach using a 5-point checklist. This checklist includes assessing the overall structure and message of the article, refining the language for brevity and strength, applying learned writing improvements, and using digital tools for grammar and readability. The process concludes with a moment of appreciation for the creative work, aiming to improve both the writing and the writer's well-being. The author encourages readers to adopt this checklist to save time and captivate their audience.

Opinions

The author believes that editing is a crucial step in writing, capable of elevating the quality of content significantly.
Initially, the author struggled with an inefficient editing process, which was time-consuming and lacked clear objectives.
The creation of a structured editing checklist is credited with making the editing process more efficient and effective.
The author advocates for the use of strong, precise language and suggests alternative words to commonly used terms to enhance writing.
Engaging the reader is a priority, with techniques such as captivating introductions, powerful opening and closing sentences in each section, and sprinkling curiosity-inducing statements throughout the text.
The author values the use of digital tools like Hemmingway and Grammarly for refining readability and grammar.
Acknowledging the mental toll of writing, the author recommends a moment of joy and gratitude for the work created as a protective measure for mental health.
The author offers a free email course to help other writers develop their skills and improve their online presence.

Editing Made Easy. Use This Checklist To Make Your Writing Sparkle.

Steal my writing process and improve your writing in 15 minutes

Writing doesn’t make an article great. Editing does.

You’d be appalled at the 1st draft of those you admire. It’s editing that makes their writing great. Editing is a superpower. It doesn’t just fix errors but releases your message from the clutter. It refines ordinary words into dazzling jewels.

But I used to waste hours editing. I’d randomly read through my stuff changing words and sentences. Not sure if I was making it better or worse. And it went on forever. I was never sure when I’d done enough editing.

Then in a desperate attempt to stay sane, I created a checklist. A guide on how exactly to edit. This made editing quicker. And I started to attract more readers. My writing became clearer and easier to read.

Feel free to steal my 5-point editing checklist. It’ll save you time and impress your readers with your newly improved writing.

1. Check the big picture

Firstly I step back from the details and check if the article works.

Key questions I ask:

is this what the reader wants to read?
do the main points follow each other?
does it deliver on the promise of the title?

These are critical questions. It is easy to become so focused on the detail, that we lose the main message.

Once I am happy with the big picture I dive into the detail.

2. Polish the details

I examine the words and sentences.

I aim to make my writing:

shorter
stronger

Shorter

Shortening an article is a simple way to improve your writing. Readers are impatient. If they have to wade through fluff they’ll click off. Be ruthless — your readers will thank you.

Delete fluff words — such as softeners (quite, just) and adverbs (very, nearly, often).

Delete sentences — check for sentences that repeat what has been said and don’t add any value

Shorten sentences- make your sentences sharper and more direct by making them shorter

Example:

It doesn’t make any difference what kind of coffee I have, or where it’s from, I need to have milk because I don’t like how the taste makes me feel, the bitterness makes me quite ill.

much better as:

I add milk to my coffee because the bitter taste makes me feel unwell.

Stronger

I use a thesaurus to choose stronger words. Changing one word in a sentence can dramatically increase its power.

I use ‘improve’ and ‘new’ too often. So I’ve found these alternatives to strengthen my writing and keep it fresh.

Improve:

strengthen
upgrade
explode
expand
enrich
refine
boost

New:

fresh
unique
radical
original
unusual
inventive

Switching a word is an easy way to boost your writing

3. Apply my improvement tips

I’ve previously explained how I got overwhelmed writing advice.

But I want to become a great writer. So I use my editing process to prompt me to use what I’ve learned. This will be personal to you. But here are the ideas I want to apply to my writing.

Strong intro

Without a captivating introduction, you lose your reader straight away.

Make sure you are clear on:

· why this article is for them

· how it helps them

And then get to the main point quickly.

Top & tail sentences

Having strong sexy sentences to start and end each section makes your article powerful.

I spend a moment checking the start and end of every section.

do I have a single sentence?
can I make it stronger or clearer?

Scatter curiousity seeds

Teasing sentences keeps the reader reading. So I insert a few throughout my writing. For example…

But there’s more…
More on that later…
What happened next shocked me
I’m going to reveal what I discovered, but first…

Add article links

I’ve written before about using links to increase your earnings and views. I identify a few ways to add some subtle links.

Strengthen the title

I use these 2 questions to improve my headline:

Can I make it more specific?
Can I make the benefit to the reader stronger?

4. Al check

Finally, I run my article through Hemmingway and Grammarly.

Hemmingway is valuable for improving readability. It spots adverbs and complex sentences. Grammarly checks for spelling and grammar errors.

5. A moment of joy

Writing online is brutal.

Soon the metrics will cruelly judge your work. So this is a valuable last step for me. It protects my mental health and maintains my energy. I take a moment to look at my creation. I give thanks for it and experience a moment of joy. I am a creator bringing something into being.

Then I click publish content my work is done.

My editing checklist:

a. Check the big picture

b. Polish the details

c. Apply my improvement tips

d. Hemingway & Grammarly

e. Appreciate your creation

Use these ideas to create your own checklist. It only takes me 15 minutes and improves my writing massively.

If you want the writing system that took me from 500–5000 followers in 6 months. Join 681 writers in signing up for my free email course: