Be Your Own Editor 05

Question: How can I learn to recognize the problems in my own writing that you have dealt with in your blog?

Answer: Try the 10-minute essay program. Write for 10 minutes, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. I will point out problems in your writing. I can almost guarantee that your writing will improve. I will look specifically for the kinds of problems I have been discussing in this blog. Send your 10-minute essays to raystop2@comcast.net. I will send them back within 24 hours with suggested revisions. Your writing will be completely confidential. I will share it with no one.

For the next several days, I will provide examples of actual 10-minute essays from people who have agreed to my sharing them with you in this blog. Try correcting them yourself. Then, see my suggested revisions in the next day's blog. Some of these problems will be pointed out in bold face in the original. If you do not understand a change, just ask and I will explain.

Original 10-minute essay:
……….Writing for ten minutes, an assignment given in my English Comp. class, was a job I was getting into the habit of doing.
……….The words were beginning to flow and I must say -- I really got caught up and could have written and written.
……….I feel forced to write and tend to get a mental block.

All the best. RayS.