To produce high-quality writing, it is well-known that editing and proofreading play an essential role. At the same time, many authors recognise the value of using a proofreading service to improve the quality of their written work.
The reason for this is that proofreading services enable authors to focus on the creative parts that they do best rather than having to deal with the more analytical and arduous task of error-checking a piece of writing.
But aside from high-quality proofreading services and careful editing, other factors influence a writer’s ability to produce great writing.
One of the major factors that influences an author’s capacity to create great written work relates to the habits that they have. This is because, many times, good habits can speed up the writing process or make it much easier to write effectively, while bad habits can have the opposite effect.
To help you develop good habits as a writer, this article describes a few key tips.
1. Keep a list of errors
If you know about the common types of errors that you tend to make when writing, you should create a list containing each one.
When you finish editing and proofreading your work, you can use your list to search through your document (use your word processor’s search functionality) for each type of error.
As a result, you can correct common errors in your writing and, alongside this, help to reinforce in your memory the right way to do things.
2. Keep a list of tricky words to hand
Maintain a log of words that you often misunderstand or misspell.
For me, as an example, I never spell the word “reminisce” correctly the first time, and I often have trouble remembering whether “modelling” or “modeling” is the right British English spelling.
If you’re not using a proofreading service, or if you don’t have time to proofread your work, referring to this list of tricky words while you’re writing will save you a lot of time in the end!
3. Rely on your trusted friends
It is common to see writing as a solitary task, and this view is especially common among students. However, in reality, writing is a collaborative act; it always leads to the best results when you share your work with trusted friends for suggestions and opinions.
4. Don’t draft and edit at the same time
This is one of the most common writing habits of them all. It’s a very important one to free oneself from, though, because it can negatively influence quality.
Although it is important to edit your writing, it is always best to leave the editing process until all of your ideas have been put onto the page.
That is to say, you should create your initial drafts without being too judgmental, and you should refrain from editing or proofreading your work (e.g., correcting spelling errors) until later on.
5. Track your changes while editing
The last important habit mentioned in this article is to use Microsoft Word’s track changes feature whenever you make editing-related changes to your drafts.
This will ensure that if you make any sub optimal edits or revisions, you can revert back to the original version.
At the same time, if you always have this feature on while editing, you will become significantly less nervous about changing things because the changes will feel less permanent.
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