If writing isn’t taught well enough or often enough these days, editing is hardly taught at all. This is too bad, since editing is where the real work of writing is at. More than just proofreading, good editing improves the clarity and forcefulness of a piece. Here’s some tips and tricks to help you make your writing more effective:

Whether you are writing a magazine article, a college essay, or an e-mail to a client, getting your text free of mistakes is essential. The spell checker helps, but it is far from foolproof.

That is where proofreading comes in. Below you will find eight tips and techniques to make your proofreading sessions more effective.

In thinking and writing about groups working on revising a document, I’ve become increasingly convinced that “revision” may be an artificial separation. There is a substantial, though not insurmountable, body of research that indicates revision is indeed something different than writing, or that revision is at least something which it is possible to distinguish from writing even if it is not separable from writing.

“The true proof-reader,” wrote John Wilson, head of The University Press in Cambridge, Mass., “… should be a lover of literature, familiar with the classics of all languages, with the results accomplished by science, and indeed with every subject that concerns his fellow-men…. [he should be] a man of much patience, well versed in the art of deciphering incorrigible manuscripts.”

Okay, that was in 1901, so aside from the totally un-PC gender-specificism of his thought, he’s being a bit of a proofreading drama queen, as well. Still, proofreading is an important skill to develop, especially if you’re in a communications business.

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter

This one I caught in the SGV Tribune the other day and called the Editorial Room and asked who wrote this. It took two or three readings before the editor realized that what he was reading was impossible! They put in a correction the next day.

Take this interactive proofreading quiz to see how well you do.

“Revision is one of the exquisite pleasures of writing.” - Bernard Malamud

Sometimes it’s just good to know when to shut up.

The problem with a lot of amateur writers is that they can be long-winded, writing in a few paragraphs what could be said in a few sentences. They might think they’re impressing people with their flowery prose or thought-out arguments . . . but really they’re losing the reader.

Most people don’t have time to wade through long paragraphs for a few nuggets of information. Do the reader a favor by getting to the point.

Lynn Gaertner-Johnson (left) write, "Today I received a contract for an upcoming program I will lead. In the contract, my last name is spelled wrong. On the program flyer, my last name and company name are both spelled wrong.

In a recent list of recommended business blogs, both my first name and last name were spelled wrong. Frequently links to this blog spell my name wrong."

This presentation includes the most common errors you should look for in proofreading and offers important steps to follow in the proofreading process.

This style guide covers abbreviations and acronyms, alphabetization, bias-free language, bibliographic citations, capitalization, grammar--frequently raised issues, lists, names and titles, punctuation, tech talk, troublesome words, and proofreader's marks.