Writers get the glory and the byline. Editors rarely get a mention. Yet their role in creating great content is vital.<\/p>\n

For some, the process of writing seems to be effortless, a natural gift. Their prose is engaging, witty, evocative and always clear. But the chances are you are reading their end product. What\u00a0if you were to see their first draft?<\/p>\n

It might come as a surprise to learn that even the most talented of writers don’t always get it right first time round. First drafts are frequently lacking finesse, and it takes significant refinement to\u00a0make them\u00a0absolutely perfect.<\/p>\n

Most top publications and blogs have professional editors to tweak and fine-tune their content \u2014 to give it a little nip and tuck where needed. Other writers and bloggers have to edit themselves, which can prove a lot more difficult. Editing is not an easy feat \u2014 it\u2019s time-consuming and draining \u2014 but it is a necessary one. Not editing your travel content is like bypassing quality checks. Without doing it, the results can be embarrassing or, even worse, damaging to your brand. Fortunately, there are techniques and tips that can help you with the process.<\/p>\n

So whether you’re a travel writer looking to improve your own editing skills, or a travel brand trying to ensure that the content you receive from writers is the best it can be, here’s our eight-point checklist for editing travel content.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Read it out loud slowly and carefully<\/strong>
\nWhen you are familiar with the\u00a0copy, it is difficult to spot mistakes. Devise strategies to get past this. Try printing it out and reading it aloud (enunciating every syllable), or try enlarging the print size so only a fraction of the text shows on the screen at once. Some editors advise reading it backwards to avoid unconsciously correcting mistakes. The method you choose is up to you; just find a way that gives you a new perspective on the text.<\/p>\n

2. Cut and trim<\/strong>
\nEarly drafts are often cluttered. Writers tend to pour all their thoughts out onto the page, before realising where the crux of the article lies. But readers are impatient and won\u2019t waste time with irrelevancies, repetitions or unnecessary fillers, so cut them out. If you\u2019re self-editing, this can be extra hard. You might be really proud of particular phrases, but if they aren\u2019t adding to the article, they\u2019ve got to go. Similarly, if you’ve gone way over the word count, you’ll need to cut it\u00a0back, no matter how attached you are to\u00a0the prose.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3. Streamline sentences<\/strong>
\nCut those meandering, endless sentences. Having subordinate clause upon subordinate clause upon subordinate clause makes a sentence difficult to read. And even more difficult to understand. Break them up. Despite what your English teacher may have told you, it\u2019s perfectly fine to begin sentences with buts and ands<\/a>, and can come in very helpful to break up your prose.<\/p>\n

4. Watch out for tenses<\/strong>
\nThere is no one correct tense to use when writing travel content. Some publications prefer using the present tense, others like to stick to the past. What is important is consistency, so check for this while editing. If an article starts in the past, make sure it stays there.<\/p>\n

5. Avoid being too verbose<\/strong>
\nAvoid unnecessary filler phrases. These are fine for everyday speech, but they don’t add anything to the copy. A couple of the worst offenders to keep an eye out for are:<\/p>\n

“Due to the fact that” can usually be replaced with \u201cbecause\u201d or even \u201cdue to \u2026\u201d
\n“At this point in time” is usually covered by \u201cat this point\u201d or even \u201cnow\u201d.
\n“During the course of” can usually be cut back to “during”, which generally\u00a0works just as well.<\/p>\n

6. Consistencies<\/strong>
\nSweat the small stuff. Inconsistencies have a major impact on readers, so keep an eye out for them while editing. If you\u2019re going to hyphenate Alsace-Lorraine, be sure to do it every time. Keep your dates and measurements formatted the same way throughout your article. If you are going to refer to people by Ms. or Mr., do it consistently. Don\u2019t mix and match. It\u2019s confusing and off-putting to readers.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

7. Repetitive sentence structure<\/strong>
\nWhen it comes to sentence structure, it\u2019s good to mix and match.\u00a0Instead of this: “I was running late. I sprinted to the gate. I missed my flight. My sister was devastated.”, try this: “I was running late, so I sprinted to the gate. My sister was devastated to discover I had missed my flight.”<\/p>\n

8. There is\/are<\/strong>
\nEditors should look out for\u00a0‘there is’ and ‘there are’. These are red flags. Sentences beginning with these phrases can often be improved. For example, instead of, “There are many cities that seem to be\u2026\u201d, try \u201cMany cities seem to be\u201d. Or instead of, \u201cThere are plenty of restaurants in New York\u201d, try \u201cNew York has plenty of restaurants\u201d.<\/p>\n

Of course, this is just for starters – we’ve many\u00a0more editing tips and techniques up our sleeve. We are sure you do too, so share them with us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>. You can also read all of our latest writing and editing projects<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

This is an updated version of an article originally published on the World Words blog almost exactly one year ago, in December 2014. Read the original her<\/a>e. Image credit: Scissors<\/a> CC image courtesy of James Bowe<\/a>, via Flickr.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writers get the glory and the byline. Editors rarely get a mention. Yet their role in creating great content is vital. For some, the process of writing seems to be effortless, a natural gift. Their prose is engaging, witty, evocative … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[889],"tags":[1187,1188,149,1189,153,1190,692,1191,895,1192,896,1193,901,1194,904,918,1045,1051,1082,1104,1115,1186],"yoast_head":"\n