When you write a lot it might pay for you to take note of the tips in today's blog post. There are a few ways you can check your own writing to make sure it sounds right, is (reasonably) free of errors, and generally is easy to read (unless, of course, you don't want your reader to understand you). Editors do a lot more than catch errors. They tighten your text and make it more effective in conveying your message to your audience. A text that hasn’t been professionally edited can often be spotted as easily as fridge art can be distinguished from gallery art. But that's for another day! Some experts say that the font of your document should be Times New Roman (TNR). If you write a lot, it makes it easier to read, and I have found this to be true. Font size should be 12 pt and the spacing between lines best be 1.5 Your eyes catch additional spaces easier this way as well as any misspellings. This leads to the next point. Zoom into the document if you have trouble reading it. I would NOT recommend that you make the font larger, as that will change any formatting you had done, and once you add or delete text it will be harder to re-do the formatting to the same standard as you had it before. I always use the Editor function in MS Word to have those most obvious spelling mistakes or grammar checked. Be aware of the language setting though, if you compare British English with American English, for example, there are quite a few differences. Thankfully Word shows you which English it recommends the amendments for; just keep that in mind! After doing the computerized spellcheck, read again to see the things the computer doesn't know, i.e. the difference between ‘their', ‘there' and ‘they're'. If you change a word at the last minute, make sure that you read the whole sentence again, or even the paragraph, as it might be possible that you changed the intended meaning with just one word. It happens - don't dismiss this idea!
When you read out loud, you will hear those differences. And finally - let your story breathe … of course, only if time allows. Give it a break, then proofread it. This will allow you to view your writing with fresh eyes.
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Editors do a lot more than catch errors. They tighten your text and make it more effective in conveying your message to your audience. A text that hasn’t been professionally edited can often be spotted as easily as fridge art can be distinguished from gallery art. But what really stands out is when lack of an editorial eye costs you money – and reputation. Perhaps you’re an educational publisher who inadvertently included a very rude word from another language in a school text or a cookbook publisher who let a recipe go to print with a typo that turned a simple ingredient into a racial slur. Either way, you have to recall the whole run, pulp and reprint and do major damage control in the media. INDEPENDENT EDITORS ARE AMAZING AND AFFORDABLE, AND THEY ADD VALUE! When you’re dealing with the text that’s your face to the world, you can’t afford not to get a professional. A professional editor will most likely be ready, willing and able to tighten, strengthen and embarrassment-proof your text for less than the cost of the time it took to write it, let alone the time it would take you to rewrite it. They might even be able to have it back to you within an hour or two, especially if you have a good ongoing relationship. Good text pays for itself in increased revenue – and with the revenue, you won’t lose because of a job disastrously done. SOME THINGS ARE BEST LEFT TO EXPERTS Electric wiring. Plumbing. Car repairs. Editing. If you decide to cheap out and do it yourself when you lack the training and experience, you risk finding yourself shocked, all wet, left by the roadside … and that’s just if you mess up the editing, never mind those other things. Everyone makes mistakes. All it takes is a few words that can be misread horribly, amusingly, or horribly amusingly, and you’ll get spread all over social media (and not for the reason you want) – or all over the floor of a courtroom (with a legal decision against you). Don't let this happen to you! IT’S A DOUBLE WHAMMY OF INCREASED COST AND REDUCED VOLUME Bad grammar and spelling don’t just cost businesses traffic—which likely goes to your competitors—it results in you paying more for it when prospective customers and clients do proceed to click. “It’s crystal clear that bad spelling and grammar can have a powerful impact on a company’s bottom line. The fact that businesses lose nearly nine in 10 more visitors to their websites because of typos should be a serious shot across the bows to bosses around the US. To make matters worse, visible typos make a site less visible on Google because it lowers their position in the search engine results pages,” said Shira Stieglitz, head of content and research at Website Planet, in a news release. Source: https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/website-spelling-and-grammar-errors-are-costlier-than-you-may-think/ |
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AuthorHi, I am Marion of Marion Metz Solutions Archives
April 2024
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