Freelance Writing - How to Edit Your Own Work

·	“Everyone says I should be a columnist.”

·	“My stuff is so funny, you’ll fire Dave Barry on the spot.”

·	“Your readership will go way up if you print my stuff.”

·	“Everyone says my column is the only reason they get up in the morning.”

·	Rule # 3. Read your stuff “cold.”

All writers can get lost in the woods. I have cut and pasted stuff so many times I said the same thing twice and the important stuff got "cutted" and not pasted. Reading your sample column and query the next day is an absolute must.

·	Rule # 4: Have someone else read your work. Aloud. And to you.

Then take a bunch of sleeping pills and end it all peacefully. Kidding aside, if you can stomach this, you will see every single thing that is wrong with your work. This exercise is for the tough-skinned only.

·	Rule # 5: Keep it under 600 words.

A newspaper is not a novel. Nor is your column the place to write your book. Bottom line, because editors want to appeal to as many readers as possible, they would rather have ten 500-word columns than - yes, even YOUR - truly superb 5,000 word column. Trust me on this one.

·	Rule # 6: Nuke those exclamation marks!!!!!

Not only is this the mark of an amateur, many spam-catchers are set to weed out messages chockablock with exclamation marks. These were used generously in writings of 100 years ago, but today’s thinking is that your words should convey the excitement. Editors (and their readers) resent being told what to think.

In general, it is a really bad idea to use exclamation marks except in extreme cases. Bottom line, your WORDS should have the "!" effect. Save the mark for use only when the meaning would otherwise be unclear.

·	Rule # 7: Know when to use “Numbers” and when to use “Bullets.”

This is a small point, but one worth mentioning. Say you have a list of items that you want to call attention to. Should you list them., e.g. 1., 2., 3., or bullet them, e.g., *, *, *.

And the answer is . . . If the items should be done in a certain order - use numbers. If the list can be done in any order, use bullets. Examples:

·	Rule # 8: When using numbers in text, know when to spell it out and when to use digits.

According to The Associated Press’ Stylebook and Libel Manual - which I would suggest you invest in - “Spell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above. Typical example: They had three sons and two daughters. They had a fleet of 10 station wagons and two buses. “

·	Rule # 2. Don’t ring your own bell, part #2.

Certainly, you should list your credentials in your query letter. But keep it to five sources at the most. If you are going to say, "I have been a guest expert on Oprah, Larry King and Dateline,” there is no need to include the 300 radio stations you have also been on. You wouldn't have gotten to Larry King unless you had caused some excitement elsewhere.

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