I'm not a formally trained editor. So how do I help my clients improve their written content? I've learned a lot from the seminars I've taken at the Editors' Association of Canada. I have some favourite online and offline references. Sometimes I will even Google (with caution) to find an answer.

In 2008 I researched and wrote a style guide so I could have all of the most common editing questions at my fingertips, and so you could, too!

My editing – like any other skill – has improved the most by doing lots and lots of editing. But it all started with an intuitive gift for seeing that something just didn't "look right."

Here are some ways to hone your own intuitive editing skills so that you can express yourself professionally in your written content.

1. Take the time. The most important step is to read through your work carefully – preferably out loud – before you publish or email it. No matter how much of a hurry you're in. No matter how inspired you felt as you were writing. No matter how gifted a writer you are.

2. Trust your gut. When something doesn't look right to you, check it out with someone else or browse through a list of common writing errors to see if you can spot an example of what you're looking at (there is a helpful editing checklist included in Write Your Way to More Clients Online).

3. Immerse yourself. When you come across examples of people who write well, subscribe to their blogs/newsletters and make a point of reading them. It's amazing what you soak up through osmosis. That will naturally raise your standards and help you notice when your own writing falls short.

4. Set a limit. Having just completed the final (I hope) proofread of my newest book, I can tell you that the intuitive editing process never ends – until you end it. There will always be something that catches your eye and has you wondering, "Does that look right?" At some point you need to either let it go or turn it over to someone else.

By using these tips to harness your intuitive editing skills, you can improve your credibility, confidence and results. And that will spur you on to keep writing!

Here’s something I’ve wondered about from time to time on my Twitter travels.

When and how is it okay to edit a tweet (something that has been posted on Twitter – example) that you are retweeting (forwarding to your followers – example)?

I should probably leave your tweets alone – Word Woman or not, when people see that something is a retweet, they should safely assume that the original message is intact and unaltered.

But here’s where things get tricky:

1. I see a typo or other error. Since I edit for a living, I do my best to make sure my own content is free from errors. When I retweet, it feels like I’m responsible for that content. Even though a retweet is really a quote of someone else’s words, that’s not always obvious. Especially because everyone handles retweets differently (I tend to follow Scott Stratten‘s advice and add my commentary to the beginning of a tweet).
2. The message is too long. I actually LOVE the challenge of trying to pare down someone’s tweet while keeping their voice and message intact. It’s a lot like what I do when I edit web content for my clients. By the way, you can make your tweets easier to retweet with this calculator. But does editing for length give me free reign to correct errors as well?
3. The person has used shorthand (e.g., “ur” instead of “you are”). For my own posts, I tend to agree with Grammar Girl, who says that if she can’t say it properly in 140 characters, she needs to consider whether she should post it at all. (She even published a Twitter Style Guide called Strunk and Twite.) Similar to #1, I see everything I post on Twitter as an extension of my brand and a reflection of the quality of my work.

But that’s about MY stuff, not yours. So while I’ve been viewing my unsolicited Twitter editing as a way to take a stand for the quality of your content, it IS unsolicited and I should probably cut it out.

What do you think? Please leave your comments below, or talk to me on Twitter. 

Update – November 18, 2012: I’ve since learned that the proper Twitter etiquette when changing the content of a tweet is to use MT instead of RT. MT stands for “modified tweet.”

These are abbreviations of Latin phrases. While they're often used interchangeably, they're actually two distinct phrases. That was one of the first rules that my sister Ruth taught me when I started editing!

E.g. stands for exempli gratia, or for the sake of example. I.e. stands for id est, or that is. I remember these by associating e.g. with example given and i.e. with in other words (to rephrase something you've said).

For example: My sister has taught me a lot about editing over the years, e.g., she explained the difference between e.g. and i.e. She has really been invaluable to me, i.e., she's been the editor's editor.

If you're tempted to use i.e. to introduce a list of items, remember that by definition it must include every possible example, while a list that opens with e.g. includes some, but not necessarily all, possible examples.

For example, in Section 22.1, Anatomy of a special report or white paper, I list ALL of the applicable levels that a problem may be impacting your reader, i.e., emotional, financial, mental, physical and spiritual.

Use a comma before and after either of these abbreviations, and try not to use them both in the same sentence.

The Chicago Manual of Style offers a bonus tip: if you start a list with e.g., there’s no need to put etc. at the end.

This post was an excerpt from The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write: Look Smarter, Write Faster and Get Better Results from Your Writing.

When Cindy Greenway and I were chatting during my presentation at the Virtually Successful Telesummit back in April 2010, a light bulb went off for me.

It was when we were talking about how easy is it is to gloss over errors in our own writing. After all, we know exactly what we meant to say, so that’s what we see on the page, even if there are typos or missing words.

Here are three quick editing solutions that will catch these mistakes before they damage your credibility or your relationship with your reader:

1. Go away and come back – taking even five minutes while you do something else will help, but it’s better still to come back to it later in the day or the next day.
2. Read your article out loud – do not skip this step! I do this with practically everything I send, including most emails. It is amazing what I miss when I just read over what I wrote.
3. Ask someone else to look it over – my sister Ruth Brickman has been editing for me since I wrote my first newsletter article in June 2003. She gives me an invaluable outside perspective on the content, finds those pesky little errors and helps me keep my writing as clear as possible. (Thanks, Ruth!!!)

I know that you know what you meant to say. Let’s make sure it’s coming across in your writing!

P.S. I can help you polish your articles and blog posts. Please contact me today for more information!