How to Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Writing

Your writing will be more interesting if the subject is not the first thing in every sentence you write.  A variety of sentence types, long or short are more interesting to readers.  Beginning the story with a question drives scenes that follow.  Each scene has a different obstacle, intriguing creating suspense to the end and then answered.

Revising is the review of the rough draft content, organization, and tone, then adding, deleting, and organizing as necessary.  During revision the writing should be consistent, clear and concise, to who you are writing to and why.  Write with purpose to attain or accomplish and enough understood description; the tone can present settings, situations and separate characters in their efforts or actions.

Editing enhances for detailed content, organization and style in paragraphs and sentences.  The order of cause and effect convey logical patterns of thought.  Information consistently supports all points with sufficient evidence advancing toward the overall goal.

Organized paragraphs have a clear introduction and conclusion each written in a logical sequence.  Sentences in each paragraph relate to the one main thought.  A clear topic sentence should be in each paragraph.  Transition to the next paragraph is clear and advances the story.

Properly structured sentence editing defines any unclear terms with precise appropriate words and meaning.  Thoughts are complete in order and details, without being repetitive or having repetitive word choices.  Sentence strength is clear not rambling or wordy and advances the story, even in slower active voice information tension scenes.  

Style editing is the way appropriate tone was written.  Sentences are varied in length and structure.  For the meaning of text, style gives the reader impression from the information and the purpose for writing.  Tone is objective or subjective, logical or emotional, intimate or distant, serious or humorous; as in conversation.  Voice is a personnel presentation in writing or speaking different from other individuals.  Use an active voice to strengthen writing and make it clear who is doing what with action, energy and directness.  Use a variety of adjective words to describe or modify another person or thing.  Active verbs convey action, movement and speed up the scene adding excitement without unnecessary information.

Expectations of the audience you’re writing for determines what constitutes common knowledge. Citations are written in the correct format and appropriately cited from other sources.

To make a good impression paying attention to the details in proofreading is important; and is last and separate from editing. Proofreading is the time to correct mechanical errors such as punctuation, grammar, spacing, format and other errors.  Punctuation is important so do not overuse it when a coma or period will work instead.