Freelance Editing Post 1: Offer to Edit for Free
Freelance Editing
In my introducemyself post I discussed my career, which has included working as an editor and writer. But mostly I have done a lot of editing. Lots and lots of editing.
A few job titles I've had: copy editor, technical editor, freelance editor. And even though these are all different job titles and included slightly different tasks, all of this type of work includes one thing: editing people's writing. That's what it boils down to.
Several people commented that they'd like to learn more about my editing career and how they can start doing freelance editing. So, this post was born.
A Good Command of the English Language
I have always been good with the English language. I was one of those annoying kids who would correct people's grammar. (Trust me: don't do this. It only annoys people!)
If you have a good command of the English language, a must if you want to work and make money as an editor, then keep reading.
Volunteer to Edit for Free
But what if you have absolutely no experience editing? Well, in that case, I'd suggest the easiest way to gain experience is to offer to edit for free.
You probably have friends who need help with their resume or with a school paper. Offer to edit it for free.
For the purposes of this post, let's say you will edit your friend's resume.
You will gain experience editing and rewriting, which can be a good amount of what editing entails.
Edit the Work and Then Edit It Again
When you're first starting out with any new type of job, it's a good idea to double check your work. That is, to edit your work!
When you edit your friend's resume, for example, make sure all company names and addresses are correct. Do this check for any verifiable information. Look it up online and verify that the information is accurate.
Read each line several times:
~ once to get the meaning
~ then again to check for errors like misspellings and poor grammar
~ then again to check for consistency and formatting issues
There is more to editing than simply reading something once and emailing the file back to your friend. Double and triple checking is key to doing a thorough editing job.
Read It Aloud
As another pass through of the resume, read the document out loud. Go slowly and actually read the words written on the page, not what you think they should be.
If there is anything still wrong, reading aloud is a great way to catch missing words or usage of the wrong word.
Set It Aside and Then Read It Again
As a final check, read the resume one more time.
But first, set it aside for at least an hour then go slowly and read the resume again like you're seeing it for the very first time.
Return the resume to your friend and be proud that you just did some freelance editing.
Good advice! Reading aloud is something I used to be in the habit of doing but have gotten out of. It can be such a game-changer when you're writing.
That's one of those simple things that everyone can do and it would help them develop their style/voice, even without a lot of experience.
Great suggestion to offer to edit the work of friends for free. People often don't even think of doing that.
And setting it aside - essential. I'd even say leave it overnight. It's amazing how time away from what you've edited or written helps to see it as a reader would.
For sure, @katebenzin. Leaving writing for as long as possible is a great way to see it anew.
Peggy, this is going to be particularly helpful for those who've shied away from "editing" in the past because it might sound a bit overwhelming.
It's amazing how much your awfully clever human mind will fill in any missing words in the text you wrote. Our mind knows what we meant to say so that's what it sees when we edit our own stuff.
That's where reading out loud is so handy.
There's one extra tactic I've also found useful. Paste your text into one of those text-to-voice apps. You can find them for free online. Perhaps your copy of MS Word includes a text-to-voice app. Your ear will pick up the fact there's a missing word. At least, that's been my experience.
Gary
Thank you, @garyharvey. Yes, our minds do fill in the blanks. Having the words read aloud is also a great idea.
Editing is an excellent skill to have. People often don't know they need editing and overlook this important and essential service. For one thing, we become blind to mistakes because we know what we meant and our eyes will trick us into thinking that is what they actually wrote.
@joannereid, you hit the nail on the head. It's very hard to self edit our own writing!
You are posting a pretty good content!
Thank you.
Glad to read this post. Reading aloud is a trick I learned about in college, and it has helped me immensely ever since. I would suggest anybody writing anything they need to proofread consider reading their work aloud. It really helps those awkwardly written sentences pop to the surface.