The one thing I am most guilty of- is sloppy self-editing. My little editor buddy sits on my shoulder during the first draft and tries to lasso me while I throw the words down, and he is a dead weight that abandons me when I need him most- during the rewrites. However, I have noticed that I am ignoring the annoying little bastard more often these days, and I am paying more attention throughout the rewrite process.

Which brings me to this little gem I stumbled upon recently- More Tips For Writing Well. On this one page, there are 16 tips for the editing process that make a world of sense, even though the article is directed at tech writers, the self-editing guide is universal help for all writers.

My take away thought from the article:

Once you’ve finished editing’s intellectual work, go back and make sure you write like you talk. Writing begins a conversation. If we feel like you’re talking to us, we’ll listen.

There is more on this one page, about this single topic, than I have read in entire books about writing.

Enjoy!