How to edit your own writing in three passes

Trying to fix everything in one read means you miss most of it. Read three times, looking for one kind of problem each time.

Pass 1: structure

• Write one sentence that says what the whole document is for. Does every section serve it?
• Read only the headings and first sentences of each paragraph. Do they tell the story on their own?
• Move, merge or cut sections that repeat each other.
• Put the most important point first, in the document and in each paragraph.

Pass 2: sentences

• Cut empty phrases. "In order to" becomes "to"; "due to the fact that" becomes "because".
• Prefer verbs to nouns. "We made a decision to" becomes "we decided to".
• Use the active voice where it is clearer: "the committee approved the plan", not "the plan was approved by the committee".
• Split long sentences. Over about 25 words, look for the place to break.
• Read aloud. Where you stumble, a reader will too.

Pass 3: errors

• Change the font or print it out; you see more when the text looks unfamiliar.
• Read backwards, sentence by sentence, to stop your brain filling in what you meant.
• Check names, numbers and dates against your sources.
• Use your word processor's spellcheck, but do not trust it with homophones such as "their" and "there".

Leave time between passes

Fresh eyes catch more. If you can, leave a day between finishing and editing, or at least take a break between passes.

When to ask for help

After several drafts, you stop seeing your own text. A professional proofreader reads it fresh, and for important documents that second pair of eyes is worth having.