Editing

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Sample idea:

Be pedantic. If you aren't pedantic you can guarantee that someone else will be. And if that someone else is an editor or publisher you're in trouble. For example, consider this: 'Stan's eyes scanned the horizon'. Anything wrong with that? Well for a start the phrase is a bit of a cliché. And secondly, is Stan actually in control of his eyes or do they often do things like this of their own accord? Yes, I know it's pedantic, but you have to be. You could say that 'Stan scanned the horizon', but that's still a cliché and doesn't really describe what he really did. How about: 'Stan checked his watch, tutted irritably, and focused his binoculars on the horizon.' Put yourself in Mr Pedantic's shoes and pick holes in your writing. Wherever you find something that could be taken the wrong way or is poorly described do something about it.

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