How To Edit Your Articles As You Write

How To Edit Your Articles As You Write
Judy Cullins c. 2003 All Rights Reserved

Increase your ezine subscribers by submitting articles once or
twice a week to the opt-in ezines. Read by thousands,
even hundreds of thousands, you get 10-25 new subscribers for
each submission. Your articles also bring people to your Web
site to buy your products.Use this checklist to edit your own work.

Knowing these benefits, you want to create and submit as many
excellent articles as you can. At times, you have the articles
complete, but don't have anyone handy to edit them. While it's
best to get at least two other edits from business associates,
you can edit your articles yourself with a little help.

Use this checklist to edit your own work:

1. Start your introduction with a question or startling fact. You
must hook your readers with something that reaches their
emotions.

2. Make your introduction only a few sentences. Your readers
want to get to the heart of your article fast. They want easy-to-
read quick tips. Long stories can bring a yawn to your reader.

3. At the end of your introduction, include your article's thesis
to stay on track and make your article clear and compelling. For
instance, "use this checklist to edit your own work."

4. Make all of your sentences short. Since standard sentence
length is 15-17 words, make most of your sentences under that
number. Complex sentences and multiple phrases make the
reading tougher. Make it easy for your readers to find the
subject and verb of each sentence, so they get the point fast..

5. Avoid dull, slow sentences. To avoid passive construction,
start them with a subject, then follow with a verb.For instance,.
"The coach marketed her business and books through submitting
articles online."is an active sentence. "The coach's books were
marketed online through submitting articles." is passive. Drop
linking verbs such as "is," "was," "seemed," or "had." Replace
them with power, active verbs. Instead of "She is beautiful," you
could say, "Her beauty compels you to stare at her."

6. Aim for compelling, clear copy. Write for the 8-10th grade
reader. Don't try to impress with pompous words such as "utilize."
Always think "What's in it for them?"

7. Use specific nouns and names. General references don't
engage your readers' emotions. Let them see the size, color,
shape. Rather than say, "Write your book fast to make lifelong
income," say "Write and finish your book fast so you can take
that long vacation to a Caribbean island." Money alone doesn't
motivate, but what we can do with it does.

8. Let go of certain adverbs. Words like very, suddenly, and
sparingly, tell instead of show. Use adverbs as often as you
celebrate your birthday. Did I show, rather than tell? Your
readers are hungry to experience feelings as well as picture
themselves in your examples.

9. Let go of adjectives. Instead of saying, She is a super-
intelligent person," you could say, "She's a genius."

10. Appeal to the senses of sight, sound, and emotions. Telling
is not a effective. Instead of "Buy this book today because it is
so useful," say, "Would you like to double, even quadruple your
Online income in three months?"

11. Cut redundancies. Too much repetition in your articles
speaks boring or "talking down" to your readers. Be willing to
part with some of your "precious" words. Your first edit should
reduce your words at least by one-fourth.

12. Don't use pompous words to try to impress your reader.
Use the shortest, simplest, most well-know word. Check your
word's number of syllables. The more syllables, the more difficult.

13. Keep the subject and verb as close together as possible.
Don't make your reader work to get the meaning..

14. Use the present or past tense of the verb rather than the
"-ing" form of the verb. Instead of "she is singing," say "she sings
or she sang.

15. Put your point at the end of a sentence, a paragraph, or
chapter for emphasis. This position hooks the reader to pause
and notice or hooks him to keep reading.

16. Cut clich+s. Once, original metaphors, clich+s age and
become trite. Instead of "Birds of a Feather Flock Together,"
you could say, "Birds of a Feather Need to Fly Away."

Make your articles sculptured and painted like a fine work of
art. Your word choices do make a difference--both in
commercial acceptance as well as audience understanding.
Self-editing will help.
===============
Judy Cullins: 20-year author, speaker, book coach
Helps entrepreneurs manifest their book and web dreams
http://www.bookcoaching.com/products.shtml
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