How to Edit

Post date: Nov 29, 2017 12:35:03 PM

By: Chloe Schmidt, Staff Writer

Posted November 29th, 2017

The reason I’m writing this article is because of a contest I enter every year, the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest. It’s basically what it sounds like, people write pieces for different categories or create art for different categories and the judges decide who wins. Since the deadline is in December, I decided to kick it into high gear and write my piece early and then edit it. This is my editing process.

First off, I look at the sentences and if they make sense. If I see that a sentence can flow more smoothly a different way, I change it. My main goal during this is to make sure it’s understandable and there’s a good flow to the writing piece.

The second thing I do is look at word choice. I read carefully to make sure the words I’m using are fit for the piece and if they’re not, I leave a little comment of what I think is wrong with it. Then when I finish reading through the piece, I go back to the beginning and fix the word choice.

The third thing I do is look at punctuation. I decide if a line should have periods, commas, or neither. If it’s a question I make sure there’s a question mark there. Punctuation is a little thing that makes a huge difference to the piece. No punctuation gives the piece a more flowy, loose feeling, whereas commas and periods make the piece neat and organized.

The final thing I never forget to do is a final read through of the piece. I’m looking to make sure everything is consistent. I make sure punctuation is the same and confirm the word choice is as strong as possible. I make sure the emotion I get from the piece is the emotion that I want.

That’s what I take into account while editing. You can use my process if you’d like, or use your own. Either way, make sure your piece is as good as possible to win the contest or get an A on that essay!