What should you look for when you edit

1. WRITING AND REVISION
The art of rewriting

2. WRITING BLURBS
Writing and Isolation
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“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and
expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads
with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about
ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at
least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and
over again. It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea.You can’t stop the
raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are
together on that ship.”
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― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

3. VOCAB
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Consolidate
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Cornucopia
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Diffident
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Paradox
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Cogent
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Eloquent
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Articulate (n. & v.)
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www.m-w.com

4. 3 SPHERES
Excellence in all areas

5. PARAGRAPHS
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Chunks of thought
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Steps in argument
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Stages of development
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Topic sentences

7. EDITING
Concise
Correct
Strong
Direct
Clear

8. “Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.”
–Dave Barry

9. REVISING
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By ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH
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I am not at all sure—convinced, certain, persuaded—that
creative-writing courses are a good idea unless they prevent
people from writing sentences like this one, where
adjectives—useful, helpful, intensely descriptive words—are
stacked upon one another as Pelion used to be piled upon
Ossa. Phew! That sentence took some writing and ended,
you will have noticed, with a rather useful classical allusion.
Thank you.

10. EXERCISE TIME!