I've been through high school.
I've been through college.
I've sent emails that I wish I hadn't sent.
Editing is oh so important. I've never had any real "training" on how to edit things, but most of it comes with common sense:
Re-read what you've written.
Try reading out-loud so you can see how things sound.
Always click Spell-Check.
Saturday, I re-learned an important lesson I'd forgotten from my college days: Always walk away before you come back and re-edit. Why?
After writing, sometimes you have an image in your head of what you meant to write. You may reread what you just wrote and not notice a misplaced there, their, or they're or some other minor typo. I knew this (once upon a time), but it really struck home when I was showing Carrie my quick flash-fiction piece I submitted. She had sat down on the bean bag chair near my computer, and I (sensing a captive audience) pulled up my story to read.
Within seconds, I noticed the first typo.
The whole story had been written in a day, and I edited shortly after I wrote it. It was a quick, fun piece, so I went ahead and sent it out. Now, I'm wishing I'd waited a day and reread it AFTER some time had passed. Preferably after a nap or some form of sleep.
Maybe someone will read this and avoid making the same mistake. Or perhaps someone will read this and smile knowing they've done the exact same thing. It's a learning experience for me.
So....a word to the wise: Edit all you want, but make sure you come back after you've gotten up for a while.
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