Wow- life’s been busy lately and my failure to check in here for a while is evidence of that, isn’t it?
It’s music to a writer’s ears when there’s more work than time, but WOW, I tell ya, there is one sure fire way to shoot your writing business right in the foot! That’s right- I’m still on my editing kick!A lot of young freelance writers think there is little to do other than stringing together a few words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into a final document, but they are missing a HUGE piece of the puzzle.
Like it or not, the English language comes with a plethora of rules about the right and wrong ways to create a proper sentence. Editing is not always easy- and it’s rarely fun- but it is a crucial part of our job as writers. We talked about the word “that” last time, but THAT is just the beginning of the story. I tend to write in a pretty laid back style, conversational, friendly – you know, easy to read and hopefully entertaining words telling the tale I am paid to tell. Writing for the Internet requires using phrasing that catches the eye and the imagination quickly and then moving along at a pace rapid enough to keep the reader’s interest. What it doesn’t mean, however, is that we have the freedom to get sloppy with our work. So many editing issues can be taken care of quickly- or avoided in the first place simply by taking the time to be sure you’re following the rules.
There’s a lot to be said for writing the way you speak, but when you’re writing for a client, you need to make sure you maintain a professional tone. If you’re writing blog posts for someone else, familiarize yourself with their writing if at all possible. If you can’t do that, then you need to be careful not to slide into an uber-casual tone, unless the client has specifically requested it. A lot of bloggers are very causal. I certainly am and most of the blogs I read are as well. In fact, I really love a few that might just make you blush! But the bottom line is, if you aren’t sure your client wants that tone, you need to hold back and save it for your own blog. (If you’re a writer, you do have a blog, don’t you?)
When I edit, whether it’s my own work or another writer’s, invariably the first thing I notice is whether the tone is conversational, without being uber-casual. Sorry, writers, but unless that is what the client specifically asks for, you need to keep a whole lot of that personality for your own virtual real estate. Write with style, use humor, by all means inject your words with life and energy, but hang on the professional side of the divide unless you KNOW you have a green light from the person with the paycheck!
