will automaticallyimprove. Studies have shown that when you let
go of your obsession with editing, you’ll naturally write material
that adheres to the rules of grammar.
Still, support is available.
First, I suggest you use a computer grammar checker.
Second, you can always call for help. There are grammar hot-
lines around the country.
TAKE A BREAK
Put your writing away for three days to three weeks. Get some
distance between you and your work. Why? Because you’ll see
your writing with clear eyes after you’ve looked elsewhere for
a while.
This doesn’t mean you get to take a vacation after every draft
you write. Instead, begin a NEW writing project. Just quit working
on this one for a while.
Have you ever gotten to see a letter you wrote a few months after
you had sent it? I have. And I’ve been amazed at the typos and am-
biguous sentences I’ve seen. When I read the letter right after writ-
ing it, I “saw” what I knew was supposed to be there. But later on,
days or weeks or months down the road, when I had the chance to
see the letter again, all my errors were obvious.
Take a break—even 15 minutes—and then return to editing
your work.
CUT AND PASTE
Before I had a computer I would type out my drafts, cut out each
paragraph, and then shuffle them into new piles. Each stack was re-
lated by theme or idea or character. Then I’d retype the article
from the new arrangement. It worked every time.
Your first draft isn’t written in stone. You can change the order,
delete entire sections, write entire new ones, cut and paste to your
heart’s content. No one will be the wiser.
Warp Speed Editing Secrets Worth Killing For