Self editing: how to "self-correct" in copywriting

Just drafted your article and can't wait to publish it? Stop dear copywriter, first autocorrect it then we'll talk about it!

Now the question is only one:

Are you ready to proofread yourself without someone's help?

If you opened this post, the answer is right in front of your eyes, don't you think?

Now is the time to figure out how but, above all, when to start using the self-editing technique.

Create your draft

Many professional copywriters have perfected their technique over the years to be able to correct the articles to be published by themselves, through simple steps.

First, PUT something down.

As Hemingway said:

" Write drunk and proofread sober ."

Perhaps before writing he drank, but even taken metaphorically his suggestion remains more than valid.

When you write you have to let yourself go, say what comes to mind, like drunks do, don't censor your fingers before they touch the keyboard.

It is normal that our first draft is not divine, but the important thing is to move forward and not get blocked.

As an ancient Arab proverb says

do not give up. You'd risk doing it an hour before the miracle .

In fact, a bad draft is better than a draft that doesn't exist.

Even an important writer like Hemingway thought that “ the first draft of anything is always shit ”.

Time to be humble, if you didn't get it!

Here's what you'll find in this article:

• What it means to do self editing;
• Good Copywriter's List;
• 4 STEP to follow to self-correct your drafts.

W hat does self-editing mean

Self-editing a text means trying to self-correct your draft .

Being able to do this is a very important step for a copywriter .

In fact, only we know what we would like to add or cut and only we really know where our draft comes from and why it comes out.

This is why we must always be the first to fully believe in each of our projects.

How many times did it happen to find someone who corrected the draft and was not very enthusiastic about our work?

Didn't that demoralize you?

After thousands of drafts , sleepless nights and long brainstorming, being told that our draft is not what we expected yes, it is FRUSTRATING!

Perhaps we could have avoided it if, before letting others read it, we had already corrected it. i.e. fixed punctuation, repetition, etc.

In short, we would have embellished and made the draft of our article or post less coarse.

Sometimes we focus more on the meaning of the text we hope it has, than on the actual value of our work.

Follow the "good copywriter list"

During proofreading, a good writer should have the “ Good Copywriter List ” in front of them.

Remember : self-correction is not just about proofreading and correcting body text.

By doing this we will be doing an incomplete job.

The draft of an article or post is much more, so a good correction must include all parts of the latter, without discounts!

Otherwise it is the copywriter who pays the consequences and wastes time!

Now let's see together what "the list of good copywriters" includes:

• The title of the post (H1)
• Subtitles (H2)
• The internal sections (H3, H4 and possibly H5, H6)
• Calls to action (CTAs)
• Internal and external links
• Visual content (images, infographics, videos…)
• Keywords optimized for SEO

Furthermore, let's not forget that when we re-read any draft we must take into account the target and objective on which we based our article or post.

You are now ready to begin your self-correction, dear Hemingway!

4 STEP to follow to use the self editing method :

1) Take a break

After completing your first draft, set the text aside and let it rest.

Indeed, you rest.

Don't believe that 5 counted minutes are enough, but wait a week or even more, the time to GET AWAY from your thoughts and stories.

The greatest difficulty in self-correction, in fact, lies precisely in the fact that when we read our text, we tend to find in it what we wanted to say and not what we really expressed.

The solution is therefore distance: good things need time.

Just as the best pizza needs a long leavening, so you need to free your mind of everything related to your text before you can face it with new eyes and a fresh mind.

So take a well-deserved break, perhaps read a book or take a nice walk in the fresh air.

Doesn't seem like such a difficult thing to me, does it?

2) Read aloud

Read aloud, with expressiveness and empathy.

If it helps, choose a quiet place and imagine reading for the target you were inspired by to write the article.

It's time to dust off the old advice given by teachers to learn to repeat.

It's time for a change of scenery and reading your article in front of your imaginative audience!

Don't worry, no one will think you're crazy... or at least I hope!

In fact, this is the stage where you don't have to focus on what your readers will think, but on how they will read it.

By reading aloud, your ears and not just your eyes will be involved in the editing work.

You will therefore discover "invisible" errors such as repetitions or internal rhymes, which so often escape untrained eyes.

But they will certainly be underlined by the reader!

Also, hearing sentences in a different rhythm will help you correct punctuation and improve the fluency of the text.

Often the importance of using punctuation marks correctly is underestimated, yet the meaning of sentences can change completely precisely according to the latter.

So PRINT, if you can, your draft and read it aloud!

BONUS: Don't take anything for granted and read calmly, following the rhythm of the text that you have given it!

Enrique Jardiel Poncela said:

When something can be read effortlessly, a great deal of effort has gone into its writing

3) Tackle one paragraph at a time

After a good proofread, focus on the different structural elements of your text.

Start with the big ones like the title, images, and paragraph organization.

Do a reading for each of the levels you decide to tackle and make any changes you feel necessary.

Set yourself a goal or create a list with paragraph titles and read the text aloud , without letting yourself get distracted.

When you are satisfied with the review carried out, go down to the lowest level, gradually entering more and more detail.

Move without hesitation. Cut without mercy.

These phrases should never intimidate you!

If a passage does not convince you, delete it.

Only by thinking that all the work done has served to get to this point, you will be able to move forward and not let yourself be blocked!

I often write entire sections of an article that I later realize are not necessary.

It's hard to delete something that we've worked hard to create but it's what you need to do to make your text FLOWER.

If we engage the public without providing them with a real benefit, we're just wasting their time. They will rarely come back to read our articles.

As we know, readers often rely only on the cover and synopsis, or on the front pages, so a correct editing work can be essential in order not to end up with an amateurish, hasty and low-quality product.

Remove this expression from your face and always be ready to select and cut… without hesitation!

4) Shuffle the cards

Reading a text from start to finish over and over is addictive.

Your mind already knows what to expect and is therefore no longer vigilant looking for the error.

To solve the problem, just shuffle the cards: try reading the text backwards, from the last chapter to the first, or even jumping from one page to another at random.

Especially if you're looking for syntax and spelling errors, shuffling cards and jumping from one place to another in the text can be very useful.

By changing the font in which it is written and the size of the character, the text will seem new to your eyes and you will be able to read it with renewed attention.

In fact, by rereading the text over and over again, one gets used not only to its content but also to its form.

Once you're sure of your text, you'll finally be ready to choose the font and layout you deem most appropriate!

Thus begins the FORMATTING!

Self editing is not enough: the importance of comparison

Maybe after a self-editing job your text won't be perfect yet, but at least you'll have removed the grossest mistakes and you'll be ready to present your work to the 3 people you choose to read your text.

Don't think that by self-correcting it it will be immediately ready to be published, always find at least 3 people who read it and keep in mind the possible advice that will emerge.

Now you will think: “ what is the use of self-correcting the draft, if in any case I have to find someone who reads it ?”

Great observation!

Remember that once you have done this self-editing work you will know, as I said before, your weak and strong points, but above all you will be sure of what you present.

The advice of the people who will read your draft, even if we are not talking about Dante, will be fundamental for the success of your text, even if you manage to get even one useful one.

Reading it with other eyes, in fact, errors of various kinds may emerge, which perhaps we "writers" caught up in emphasis would have ignored.

Of course, not every comment you receive will be as flattering as you expected, but that should in no way stop you or put you down!

Don't give anyone this power, because if you present your text after this self-correction work, it means that you have found something positive!