REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

You probably assume I am going to state the obvious here and say that spelling and grammar checks are a must, which is of course very true. However, to discover those little typos, over-sites, spelling and grammar errors, the ONLY way to do it – is to review, review, and then review one more time.

I cannot tell a lie. I am sometimes lax myself at checking my own work more than once. I type too fast and inevitably present a typo or misspelled word in my own work, but I’m great at editing others work, because I’m focusing on THEIR words, spelling and grammar, not the creation. This isn’t uncommon, by the way – for writers in particular. Their brain is creating, brainstorming, focusing on characters, plots, scenes, and getting it down before they forget it…they are not focusing on the copy until it’s all on paper, which is why we have editors and proofreaders in the first place. However, that is no excuse, I admit. So, the lesson for all of us today, is to review, review, review. I have someone else check my own pages now – and then I can blame them if it comes back to bite me! 

Sentence length is always a topic of debate. Most of the time, the tendency is to write too many lengthy sentences than fewer. Some experts say it is ok to have a very long sentence as long as the grammar, spelling and punctuation are in place. I prefer to stick to the old school of writing that says, no – sentences should not be longer than an average of 17 words per sentence…and now I contradict myself, because this sentence is a lot longer than 17 words…get my point?!

Try not to repeat a word in a sentence and even limit repeating it in a paragraph, if at all possible. This does not apply to… the, and, of, it, in, if, at, to, etc., obviously!

Whenever you can, use verbs instead of adjectives, because doing is better than describing! You know, “actions speak louder than words?!” That’s another tip; don’t use clichés, unless it is just a fun-type article like this one!

Does your headline make people want to read more? Make sure your headline presents an invitation to read more. In my header, the first one just proposed a boring checklist; in the sub-header, it called for ACTION and an admission of guilt!

Now, will you excuse me while I review, review and review once more, this copy? Feel free to make comments – just remember, I DO make sure that my client’s work is accurate, and I use two programs and a thorough hard read to make sure!