However, when you want to publish your writing, you do need to care about presenting a clean copy with no errors for the publisher to read. You need to edit your own work before you give it to a publisher. Editing is a completely different skill to writing, so it is not always easy to edit your own work. In fact, it is often easier to edit someone else’s work, because you are less familiar with it. The author often knows what is intended by a particular sentence, but the reader becomes confused. The main trick to editing your own work is to look at it as if you are reading someone else’s work for the first time.

 Ask yourself questions, such as:

• Does that sentence make sense?
• Have I left out important information that would help the reader make sense of my writing?
• Does my writing flow from paragraph to paragraph in a smooth manner, or do I repeat myself?
• What questions do I have after reading this?
• Am I assuming the reader has the same knowledge I do?

If you write at a computer, it is a good idea to print out your article and proofread from the printed copy. It makes it easier to spot the simple errors, such as the typographical errors, and you can circle the error quickly and keep reading. Edit the entire piece and then go back to the computer to make all the changes, so that you don’t forget anything.

Read your writing aloud. This helps you to spot the instances of awkward wording or phrasing, because you will naturally stumble over the words when you read them aloud. If it doesn’t sound natural when you read, you need to do some editing.

I’ve often heard authors say that the first draft is nothing like the published version, and that’s probably a good thing! Editing and proofreading is a continual process that adds the technical side of writing to our work. We all need to polish our writing until it shines and reaches to the heart of the reader.

 Hayley

For free articles on freelance writing, check out http://www.expandingcreations.com

Writing is a craft that takes a lifetime to learn, refine, and enjoy before you become a true master. Even the most famous authors suffer through personal doubts, changes from editors, rejections from publishers, and criticism from readers. This is part of the process of writing.

You can write only for yourself and avoid some of the rejections or criticisms, but if you do this you will miss half of the joy of real writing. Writing is a method of communication that allows one heart to speak to another, and without a reader, the path of communication becomes useless. Much of the joy that comes from writing stems from the reader feedback – when someone reads your work and says “That touched me, made me laugh, made me cry, or made me want to dance for joy in the rain.”

So, as 2009 draws to a close and we all dust off the New Year’s resolutions that we dropped back in January (or if we were really good in February), I have a suggestion for every writer here. Instead of setting yourself goals about how much you going to write, try thinking about how well you are going to write. Make at least one resolution to work on improving and refining your craft of writing. Aim for quality, rather than quantity, and resolve to learn more of the craft of writing in 2010.

I am excited to become part of the blogging family here at newbie writers. If you want to read more articles about the craft of writing, visit my website: http://www.expandingcreations.com

HayleyWriter