Words to Edit By
One of our fundamental principles of writing and editing:
The selection and organization of content ought to serve the purpose of the writing.
A Realist Take
You can’t know if a piece of writing is “good enough for now” if you don’t know what the words are supposed to accomplish. Good enough for what? To borrow from 2 Timothy 2:15 in the King James, a clear sense of purpose lends confidence in “rightly dividing” bigger-picture content and story questions. What to cut, what to keep, and how to present it all become clearer.
For Instance
Below is a table of contents for our current and upcoming articles on editing for content. Each of the hyperlinked articles encompasses a big editorial action step or subtopic. Those articles link (or will link), in turn, to additional articles covering smaller steps, specific guidelines, and practical tips. If there’s no link yet, the article is forthcoming.
Thematic and logical cohesion
Relevance
Appeal for audience
Overarching structure
Redundant content
Logical sequence
Hooks and conclusions
Transitions
Paragraphing
Fact-checking
Godspeed and happy rewriting!
Article: Your adventures in editing begin here!
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