How to Edit Your Own Writing Like a Pro

Editing is a vital step in any writing journey, especially for freelancers. Self-editing is a skill that can either help or hinder client relationships and landing new contracts. A polished piece of content is rarely a first draft run, but once you get the hang of it, you can breeze through proofreading your blog posts, web pages, and email series in no time. If you don’t remember a sliver of your English classes, don’t worry; keep reading to learn how to self-edit your work like a champ and start crushing your freelance goals.

Keep a Checklist or Cheat Sheet for Projects 

Cheat sheets have saved my butt more than once when writing for clients. Typically, a client will have a set of parameters for a project, including tone, audience, keywords, etc. I keep these up either in a separate window or on a notepad to review as I’m writing to make sure when I edit my work, I look at it through those lenses and make sure it checks the necessary boxes.

Get Cozy with the Delete Key

When you first start out copywriting, you have to find a groove. As you land more clients, that groove changes, and there’s always a learning curve. A lot of times, people will over-write. More content than needed isn’t inherently bad, but it can quickly turn into writing “fluff” – content that doesn’t serve a purpose in a project other than filling space or a word count. When reading through your writing, remember that each word in a sentence should serve a purpose and take the reader through the text by educating, captivating, and keeping their attention.

Some Insight:

Remember that too-direct sentences can also change the tone of your work. You don’t want to sound like a robot the whole way through, so occasional filler is sometimes permissible. Think of it as a type of seasoning - to be used sparingly to bring out the other “flavors.”

Watch Out for Weak Text

Weak verbs and adjectives such as “like,” “really,” “very,” “being,” and others can create missed opportunities for unique and appropriate vocabulary. Be intentional and purposeful with your word choices. Weak language equals weak writing. If you struggle with what verbs or adjectives to use, try an online thesaurus. We don’t have to be walking dictionaries when we write. We just need to take advantage of every tool out there.

Here are some examples of weaker language and stronger alternatives:

• Very bad - devastating

• Really good - illuminating

• Really don’t like - repulsive/repulsed

• Really like – crave

Harness the Power of AI

Okay, okay, while AI isn’t the golden goose of writing (despite its growth in the past couple of years), it isn’t exactly the bane of a writer’s existence either. High-quality, human-generated content will always have a leg up on any algorithm, but it’s nice when that little computer formula can remind you to use it’s instead of its in that one sentence.

AI editing tools can be as integrated or low-key as you want. It’s a great tool to check for plagiarism, too (even if it’s not intentional). The best part is these tools often have free features you can try out before subscribing to a premium plan. Some features of these tools can include:

• Browser extensions: Reviewing any writing done online, from email to Facebook posts to Google Docs.

• Desktop apps: Perfect for Windows and Mac to integrate into word processors and default email programs

• Tone analysis: Tone is a detail that separates mediocre work from compelling copy and content. Get the tone wrong, and your piece falls flat. Hit the tone spot on and watch your work sing across audiences.

• Formatting suggestions: These suggestions may restructure sentences or entire paragraphs to make a piece flow easier or create a more direct statement. Hedging language, repetitive patterns, sentence structure, and cliches can undermine your overall writing quality.

• Punctuation calls: I love an Oxford comma, but sometimes I forget one or two. AI editing tools catch where a comma and other punctuation would be grammatically correct and can take a little load off the overall mental tax of self-editing.

These extensions often have other aspects that are helpful. For example, Grammarly allows you to type in a command, such as “check for passive voice,” and it will identify instances of passive voice and provide suggestions for a more active sentence structure. 

Some Insight:

With great power comes great responsibility. Since AI is still evolving, you must double-check your work and not take every suggestion as gospel. A particular sentence may need to sound and be structured exactly how you wrote it, but AI might flag it anyway and provide suggestions that don’t fit as well. Stay true to your assignment's purpose, tone, audience, and any other stipulations your client may have. You wrote the words, and at the end of the day, it needs to sound more like you than AI.

Start Your Freelance Writer Journey

Copywriting as a main or side hustle isn’t as out of reach as it sounds. Hard work? Yes. Impossible? Never. The Pajama Writer has a slew of tools that can help you get ahead in this new adventure of yours with downloadable guides, templates and tools on Etsy, and even a newsletter. You can also follow The Pajama Writer on Facebook and Instagram for daily tips and tidbits. 

Work-life balance is within reach. Everyone has to start somewhere, so let’s get you writing today!