How to Perfect Your Content by ‘Redrafts & Edits’

Redrafting and editing work side by side and are very closely related. You need to redraft and edit in order to a turn a thoughtful, well-planned piece of content into a polished text that readers will be interested to read.

There’s just too many blogs out there that have common spelling mistakes and illogical use of grammar. I can’t stress how important this last step is to ensure loyal returning readers! If you can create a structured argument that flows and makes sense – you will get readers in given time. I’m going dedicate this article for the best methods of fine-tuning your nearly perfect content.

Redrafting and Editing for Ideas

The first step is to look closely at your ideas.

• Check your plan. Have you omitted anything that you need to include?
• Have you actually followed through on the promises you made to your readers with the topic title/introduction?

If your aim is to be persuasive, have you convinced them your points?

If your aim is to be creative, is your content interesting?

If your aim is to explain, is your article clear and concise?

There’s nothing wrong with modifying your point of view as you study a subject, but it is wrong to disappoint your reader’s expectations by arguing a different case from the post title/introduction – don’t stray off the topic and maintain your authoritative position as an author as you ‘investigate’ or ‘follow’ up on your points.

Redrafting and Editing for Structure

The second step is to look closely at your structure and ensure that the ideas develop logically and the whole piece is fluent. These are just a few simple questions that can help you verify the coherency of your content;

• Does your introduction lead logically to the body of the writing piece?
• Have you included all the links between paragraphs to make sure that your written piece is fluent?
• Can your reader read this piece without stopping and starting to see where each point leads? If not, make sure that you edit your piece so that your reader is guided smoothly through the ideas.

You should be aware that making a written piece fluent is majorly dependent on how you use “linking words”. Building up a bank of linking words and phrases to help you mark a logical build-up of points. There’s literally thousands of linking words in the English language but here are few that I use regularly; firstly or finally, furthermore, moreover, to conclude.

Editing for Expression, Grammar and Spelling

If I was asked to define “redraft and edit” in just one sentence it would be; the process you commit to make sure that you do not distract your reader from what you have written. This may seem an obvious thing to say since you want the reader to concentrate on your writing that you have put such time and effort into, but many writers make the mistake of leaving in spelling mistakes and typing errors that inevitably interrupt the reader’s appreciation of what you have to say.

Don’t be lazy to fix up your spelling mistakes and grammar structures – you should spend time on writing your content and equally time on editing. Make sure you check your expression and your writing in an appropriate tone relative to the content

Lastly, I just want to emphasize that you should never neglect to check spelling, grammar and punctuation for accuracy. A simple change of words can make your content that much clearer, that bit more effective and much more memorable.