Avoiding Writing Mistakes

As a freelance writer, one of the best ways to get regular writing work is to turn in error-free writing. Writers who make lots of mistakes don't often get a second chance. Even experienced writers make mistakes, but with a few changes to their writing routine, all writers can reduce their error rate. Here's how to do it.

Write In Style

Most publications have a style guide which is available to freelance writers. Those that don't will often ask for articles to be written following a well-known style guide. Examples of writing style guides are the Chicago Manual of Style and the MLA Handbook. Writers should become familiar with the main points of the style required and make sure that their writing is appropriate.

Example: A writer is writing about surfing for two different publications. The first article is for the Surfing Times, which assumes that readers know the subject and addresses them familiarly. The magazine will ask writers to use the first person ('I' and 'we') and to use surfing jargon ('dropping in' and 'wipe out') without explanation. An article on surfing for the New York Times would be written differently. The article might be written using AP guidelines and in the third person ('surfers'). The writer would assume that readers did not know the jargon and would explain all terms. ('Dropping in' is catching someone else's wave; a 'wipe out' is falling off the surfboard.)

Know The Limits

When editors and publishers request an article, they give writers a suggested word count. Writers should keep to this as closely as possible. Writing less means that editors will not have enough to fill the space planned for the article. Writers who under-write are unlikely to get repeat commissions. Writing more than the allotted amount means that editors will not have enough space for an article or stories. This means that articles will need more editing work. This is an easy way to upset an editor. Freelance writers should be within 50-100 words of the agreed word count. Writers who can write to length are popular with editors and will be asked to do more writing.

Spelling And Proofing

Writers should start by spell-checking their writing. They should then read the article on screen to see if there are any mistakes the spell checker has not caught. Once the article has been checked, do something else for a while, then read it again. It is easy for writers to miss mistakes when they have spent a long time looking at the same piece of work.

Example: Spell checkers do not pick up mistakes that are actual works. A common typographical error is to type 'form' instead of 'from'. Only reading the article will reveal such a mistake.

Finally, it is often worth printing the article and reading it to see if it sounds right.

Summary

Before submitting an article to an editor or publisher, freelance writers should make sure that:
- the article is written in the right style
- the word count is correct and is included at the end of the article
- the article sounds right
- all relevant information is included
- all readers' questions are answered
- the document is laid out as the editors wish
- the writer's contact details are included at the end.