Six Tips for Cleaning Up Your Article Boo-Boos

By Ann Zuccardy

Let’s face it, we all make errors. The more content you pump out, the greater your chances of introducing errors into your work. You’re human; it’s your job to make mistakes. I’ve read 20 articles today. In 14, I found at least one big grammar error. It makes me wonder, “If this person doesn’t care about grammar errors, how would he or she handle MY business details if we were to do business?”

You can’t count on your word processing software spell checker to catch everything.

• What if you’ve typed to when you mean too?


• What if you’ve typed their when you mean there?


• What if you’re one of those folks who confuses affect and effect?


• How about insure and ensure?


• Do you often write your when you mean you’re?


• Do you suffer from apostrophe anxiety, often confusing plurals for possessives?


• Do you think serial commas are something you find in a Cheerios box?


• Is your spacing and article format consistent?


• Do you draw a blank on that pesky lie/lay rule?


• Are your sentences fragmented or incomplete? (Note: there are times when a sentence fragment is okay, but it’s a tool that should be used carefully.)

No spell checking program will catch these kinds of errors. Some grammar checking programs catch them, sometimes. In my opinion, the software or the computer is only as savvy as the person behind the keyboard and no software will ever replace human editing.

You’re going to make mistakes. Face it. What’s a busy article marketer to do? In addition to spell checking EVERYTHING, here are six tips to ensure your articles reflect your professionalism:

1. Check your articles frequently, even after they’ve been live on EzineArticles.com or other article site for awhile. You may catch an error tomorrow that you would have never seen today. I am constantly editing my articles even months after they’ve gone live. The beauty of publishing online is that you can fix your work as many times as you like!


2. Be obsessive and impeccable with your articles. They are your professional introduction to the cyberworld. Would you dress in frayed jeans and a sweatshirt if you were giving a professional speech? Of course not. A well-groomed article says oodles about the writer’s attention to detail.


3. Have a grammar geek friend or professional proofreader/editor check your article for you. Post it on a writers’ discussion network and ask for feedback if you feel comfortable. Ask your high school English teacher. If all else fails, pay a professional proofreader or editor to do the job for you. It won’t cost you an arm and a leg for a quick proofreading job and you will rest assured knowing your article looks and sounds professional.


4. Read your article backwards. Yes, really. I often read my work backwards, especially when I’m tired of reading the same article over and over. It forces me to look more closely at my work. I find lots of my own errors this way.


5. Let your article sit a day before posting it. Tweak it, love it, modify it. Your business and your articles deserve your loving attention so that others will love them too.


6. Be open to suggestions from prolific article writers you trust. Everyone wants to give advice and be helpful. Would you take medical advice from your mechanic? Always consider suggestions from established writers and editors whose work you admire.

When you meet a new person for the first time, you immediately notice his or her physical attributes. However, after time, if you find nothing of substance beyond the physical, you lose interest. The saying “beauty is skin deep” is true in articleland and in the real world.

Great content is beautiful on the outside AND under the surface.

First impressions count in article writing and in life. If there’s just one grammar geek like me out there counting errors, you can bet there are a lot of people who will stop reading your article the minute they spot the first error. Don’t let your great content be sullied with silly errors.

Create a sizzling, sexy, and meaningful relationship with your readers. Let your articles’ stunning outer beauty grab attention. Let your articles’ inner beauty hold attention and keep readers coming back for more of your hot stuff.

Spell check. Proofread. Edit. Repeat this process indefinitely for timeless article beauty - inside and out.

Copyright 2005, Ann Zuccardy, All rights reserved.

Ann Zuccardy, creative entrepreneur, food lover and owner of the Vermont Shortbread Company, invites you to sample a taste of her buttery-rich, authentic Vermont Shortbread. Place your online order for shortbread boxed fresh from the oven and shipped right to your doorstep at http://VermontShortbread.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ann_Zuccardy