I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of Susan Bell’s new book, The Artful Edit, about how writers can do a better job of editing themselves.
It has a lot of good advice, but there was one technique – reassuringly simple to do – that I tried today with great success.
I printed out my draft in a different font.
Yes, it was as easy as that. When I printed out my draft for editing, I switched the text from Times New Roman, which feels like my own handwriting, to Georgia.
It sounds insignificant, but in fact, the changed look of the page made it easier to spot awkward spots.
When I’m done with this edit, I’m going to try another of Bell’s suggestions, and read the whole darned draft aloud.
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For folks interested in the general subject of self-improvement, the great site Pick the Brain has a helpful round-up of blogs worth checking out. Needless to say, I was very happy to see The Happiness Project on the list.
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