Taking the time to double check your written work is very important for success. As a freelance writer, you are the writer and the editor and your reputation is built upon the work you publish, good or bad. If you hope to make a professional impression, your work must be interesting and free of grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors.

The best editing practice is to write your article and then step away from it for a few minutes before coming back and editing. I also recommend doing something different during that time, like reading web news, reading short stories or poetry on the web or stepping away from your computer and doing something around the house. Take a break of approximately five minutes if you are on a tight schedule and then come back and go over your article.

When you come back to edit your article, you should, first, quickly read it to make sure it flows nicely. If you find jerky, unnatural sentences or wording, take the time to rethink and rewrite those sections. Once you have made sure that your article reads easily and quickly, check for spelling errors including homonyms. Homonyms are words with the same spelling or sound but with completely different definitions. Four examples of homonyms are its and it’s, you’re and your, hear and here, and there and their. Most grammar correcting software will not catch homonyms, so you need to catch them yourself. Once your spelling is corrected, check your punctuation. Using too many commas or not using enough commas can make or break an article.

Now that you have edited your work, it is time to sit it aside, once more, for another five to ten minutes. Again, let your mind rest while you do something else. After waiting five or ten minutes, come back to your article and read over it once more. Check for voice, flow, grammar, spelling and punctuation. If you are satisfied with what you see, then it is time to submit your article.

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