Erik Hare is a freelance writer and social media consultant for (very) small businesses in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Good writing, as a craft, starts with a rough piece that needs sanding, polishing, and a good coat of lacquer before it shines.  The skills you must learn to edit your own writing are not difficult, but they are critical.  Here are a few tips and ways of thinking that will help you hone your work into a useful and beautiful piece.

Changeup. The best way to read your own writing critically is to change the circumstances when you edit.  Start and end your editing process by reading your piece out loud. If you write on a computer in the quiet of your office, print it out and take it to a noisy coffee shop.  Pay close attention to the rhythm of language as much as the topic itself as that will help put you in your reader’s mind. (more…)