Often, deadlines mean that you have limited time to do a particular task. If you have to edit a project under pressure, you are likely to make mistakes. Below, some guidelines to help you edit fast and with efficiency.
Guidelines to Editing Fast
- Do not Stop Editing
When you edit continuously, you will avoid destructions and overanalyzing the content. For you to have a clear scope of view, you must keep going. Although, you can slow down once in a while when you find errors.
- Cover sentences
When you lose a second here and a second there, time adds up fast. Eventually, you will have lost a lot of time. It helps to save time when you avoid destructions. To concentrate on the parts that need a little improvement, cover the surrounding areas with a paper or your hand. When using a computer, the full-screen mode will help you focus on the article that requires clean up.
- Focus on the long sentences
When writing long sentences, it proves easy to lose the oratorical focus. Thus, approximately 90% of grammar mistakes come in lengthy sentences. You will find that sometimes commas get left out, or too many of them occur in one sentence.
- Paragraph topic phrases
A topic sentence offers a guide in the organization of a text. When you find that a topic sentence does not make sense, then you need to rephrase it. Checking the paragraph topic phrases proves an effective means of reviewing. It helps you to analyze the general organization and flow of the article.
- Ask for help
All writers will edit their work to a certain point. But when another person assists you with editing, your mistakes reduce. The finest writers also ask for help when writing their books and articles. Most publications will have editors working alongside the author. Seeking help reveals your humility. It provides you an opportunity to learn from other writers and editors.
There proves no limit to who can help you. Some will ask for help from friends or family members. But remember, they might not prove an expert in the area. You can have one party proofread the write-up while the other edits it. Editing and proofreading prove different things. Therefore you may require help in both content and grammar.
- Read the article “backwards”
When you read through a text, an author’s mind will most likely anticipate what comes next. Even the pre-eminent writers can become oblivious to their mistakes. It becomes easy to overlook unmistakable errors. One way to avoid these common errors entails going through your text backward.
Two ways of reading backward. One way entails scanning through full paragraphs commencing from the last and making your way to the beginning. Another way entails browsing through each sentence beginning with the last one and making your way to the first.
- Get professional help
The easiest and most productive way to edit fast entails seeking help from a grammar professional. Try to find an experienced editor who proves efficient in the craft. You will need an editor with special skills to meet your limited deadline with exceptional results. A professional will help you finish on time and with minimal if any, mistakes
Conclusion
Depending on how fast you need to get the work done, you can choose any of the above tips. If you do not know any editor that can assist you, some sites offer proofreading and editing tools for free.