Part 2 of 4
Below are tools that can aid in making the editing process easier.
SlickWrite: Similar to software like Grammarly, SlickWrite checks for basic grammar, misspellings, and sentence structure. What I like about this system is that you can do rounds of edits, much like passing copies of your work to different types of editors or the rounds you would do yourself to gain fresh perspective each time. You can separate editing for grammar, from say sentence structure, so you can keep track of your changes. This also allows you to practice doing larger, more “destructive” edits, before smaller, more detailed edits.
Grammarly: This is probably the most well-known editing tool. It’s advertised everywhere, and most people use it as part of a Chrome extension. Grammarly has two formats to edit. The first highlights errors as you type, much like the grammar editor in Microsoft Word. The second way allows you to paste the entire writing directly into Grammarly’s application and then gives all the edit suggestions at once. The downside to this is that you are not able to paste very large amounts of writing into the application at once. If you have a larger work, like a book, you will have to break it up into sections to utilize this.
Grammarly checks for basic grammar mistakes, and while it can do more intensive and contextual edits, you have to pay for the premium version to benefit from these.
ProWritingAid: This application is much like Grammarly, but its formatting is geared towards fictional writers and is even more contextual in its editing suggestions as a result. However, its functions are limited without an upgrade.
Hemingway App: This application has a very specific focus: to kill verbiage, unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, and any passivity to make your writing as compact as possible and to ensure it gives that “punch.”
Ginger: Like Grammarly, this works on a variety of platforms. If you use multiple social media platforms, this is perfect for keeping your content error-free and ready for publication.
Help.PlagTracker.com: This application is geared towards plagiarism, particularly unintentional plagiarism. This often happens around citing work, especially with paraphrasing. A mechanical editor may be useful here as well, as proper citations differ depending on the organization's style guide.
While these tools are helpful, it is best to not become over-dependent on them. A writer should always be thinking:
Who is the audience?
What tone is needed?
The Editing Series
Part 1 of 4: Book Editing Basics
Part 3 of 4: Types of Editors
Part 4 of 4: Industry Editors
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