Tag Archives: extraneous words

Today’s Writing Tip

Posted on by

home-office copy

Here’s another booby trap for authors:  When rewording a sentence, make sure you take out any words that are no longer needed. Many of the editing faux pas examples I find involve extraneous words that weren’t deleted when a change was made.

Always reread a sentence after you revise it. This is one of the easiest mistakes to make when you’re editing. If you don’t catch it and clean it up, your reader will trip over it like an overly friendly cat rubbing against your legs.

Creating flawless copy isn’t easy or simple. There are all sorts of alligators hiding in the water, just waiting to jump out and startle your reader and make you look like an amateur. This is why you need a good editor.

Today’s Writing Tip

Posted on by

blank-3164721_1280 copy

When rewording a sentence, make sure you take out any words that no longer belong. Many editing faux pas examples I find involve extraneous words that weren’t deleted when a change was made. This is another case where the author sees what’s supposed to be there, not necessary what is. Reading your final draft aloud may catch these; if not, hope your editor does.

Authors need to realize that many readers notice these things and can be rather unforgiving if it occurs often enough. It’s a distraction that throws them out of the story and shows a lack of professionalism in putting forth the best possible product. A few here and there is one thing, but a preponderance of them and you’ll lose readers. Trust me on that, because I’m one of them.