Why it's important to have an Editor review your material.
Some believe an Editor’s only job is to catch misspellings and poor punctuation. That's only a small part of an Editor's role. The job of an Editor is to ensure the material is clear, correct, concise, complete, and consistent (The 5 C's of writing). An Editor will make sure the content has a good flow to it and is enjoyable to read.
Here are a few of the most common mistakes writers make.
- Misspelled words
- Poor punctuation
- Misused words
- Run-on sentences
- Redundancy (repeating the same idea or message)
- Word Echoing (excessive repeating of words to close to each other)
- Uncommon slang or abbreviations
- Unclear Acronyms
- Timeline inaccuracies
- Confusing location descriptions or directions
- Weak paragraph transition
- Wordiness and overuse of common words (i.e., very, really, like)
- Compound word errors (i.e., never mind vs. nevermind)
A good Editor will detect and fix these problems and more while maintaining the original author's voice.
The next time you’re in need of an Editor, contact me - I can help!
Also, see my write up on the Different Levels of Editing Explained
John A. Huguley
© 2018-2019