The editor of a major magazine has one slot for a feature article and must choose from twenty submissions—one of which bears your name. This common scenario is one every writer must face in the competitive writing and publishing industry. How can you increase the odds that your story will be the one to make it out of the slush pile and onto the pages of a publication? Simple. Learn to self-edit.

My experience as a former newspaper copy editor and the current editor of a monthly e-zine for a national writer’s organization has taught me that editors appreciate a well-written submission free of typographical, grammar, and punctuation errors. If I must choose between two articles of equally appropriate subject matter, I inevitably consider how much editing work each will require, and I select the cleaner manuscript. So, how do you take your rough draft and turn it into a polished gem that editors will select?

Many wordsmiths—the ones whose manuscripts rarely leave the slush pile—tend to rush through the editing process, assuming that quickly skimming their article constitutes an adequate self-editing job. However, effective editing requires more than a cursory glance. In order to develop effective editing skills, you must approach self-editing as a multi-step process, not a one-shot deal.

As an editor, I examine articles in three stages—macro editing, micro editing and formatting. Few writers (and editors) are capable of thoroughly editing a piece with just one read-through. Most of us can only refine one or two aspects of our writing at a time. Learn to edit in phases, targeting different aspects of writing with each sweep. This approach requires more time and effort on your part, but it yields a payoff in the form of more sales. Here’s how it’s done:

After you’ve finished the rough draft of your article, you can begin the process of macro editing (also called substantive editing). Macro editing is the process of looking at the content and structure of your article or essay. Put yourself in a “big picture” frame of mind and study your writing from an overall viewpoint. Following is a list of questions to help you examine your work objectively:

* Is the key point or topic of your article or essay clear? The reader should come away with a clear understanding of your topic. Some writers find it helpful to write a one-sentence thesis, defining the subject of their article.

* Have you fully developed the thoughts and ideas you’ve presented? Try to view your work as an uninformed reader would. Is the information complete enough that anyone can understand it? You don’t want to overexplain, but you don’t want to leave the readers scratching their heads either. Study your writing and determine whether or not your thoughts are developed and complete.

* Does the information flow in a logical order? One paragraph should flow into the next without any jarring transitions. Cut, paste, and rearrange until you have the best organizational structure for your piece.

* Does every paragraph relate to the main point? Bunny trails can be interesting, but in the end, unnecessary material causes your article to lose impact. Use the delete key to refine and tighten.

* Have you used simple, easy-to-read sentences? Read the article aloud to be certain the language is smooth and flowing. Better yet, have a friend who is unfamiliar with the article read it to you. If they stumble over any sentences, consider revising.

* Are the paragraphs a reasonable length—three to six sentences? Using more than six sentences creates a bulky chunk of text in printed publications. And when writing for the web, keep paragraphs even shorter.

* Have you confirmed your research, given attribution for quotes and received permissions? Always confirm your facts with at least two sources and give credit where it is due.

When you are satisfied that you’ve successfully completed the macro editing phase, you are ready to begin micro editing, sometimes referred to as line editing. During the micro editing process, an editor breaks down an article line by line and examines each sentence, word and punctuation mark. To develop accurate editing skills in the area of line editing, you must become familiar with the stylebooks that govern publishing standards: Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) for books, and Associated Press Stylebook (AP) for magazine and newspaper articles. Here’s a checklist of common errors that will help you fine tune your writing:

* Have you used correct spellings? Run a spell check to find misspelled words, but don’t rely entirely on the computer. Look up any questionable spellings in a quality dictionary.

* Have you confused homonyms such as peak, peek and pique? Keep a list of commonly confused words and be sure you’ve used the correct one.

* Do you know the difference between possessives, plurals, and contractions? Writers frequently confuse the three. Don’t mistakenly use the possessive its in place of the contraction it’s. And don’t forget the apostrophe in a possessive such as “the dining room’s decor…” While “rooms” can be a plural, in this example it is possessive.

* How accurate is your grammar and punctuation? Learn how to identify dangling modifiers, introductory phrases, compound modifiers, and other grammar and punctuation.

* Is your verb tense consistent? If you begin in present tense (“He walks…”) don’t change to past tense (“He walked…”) in the next paragraph unless you are truly speaking about a past event.

* Have you maintained one point of view? Learn the difference between first person (I), second person (you), and third person (he/she) points of view, and use point of view consistently.

* Do your subjects and verbs agree? If you use a singular noun, the singular tense of the verb should accompany it.

* Are your lists parallel? Each item in a list should be the same part of speech, whether noun, verb or adjective, etc.

* Did you look for repeated words or phrases? Rewrite to eliminate distracting repetitions.

* Have you used any clichés? These overused phrases are stale and unoriginal. Rewrite with a fresh approach.

* Have you confirmed names and titles and their spellings? Printed publications, especially newspapers, often serve as a public historical record. Make sure your information is correct.

* Are your book titles italicized and your article titles in quotes? Look for areas in your article that require special treatment and handle them accordingly.

Next, take a few minutes to examine your formatting, which should include:

* A cover letter or cover page with contact information—name, address, phone number and e-mail address

* Your name and contact information at the top, left corner of the first page of the manuscript

* Word count at the top, right corner of the first page of the manuscript

* Minimum of one-inch margins

* Double-spacing

* A common, easy-to-read font such as Times, Times New Roman or Courier

* A header which includes your last name, article or story title and page numbering

* Consistent paragraph styles—don’t switch from indented paragraphs to block style halfway through an article. If you bold one subhead, you must bold them all. If you start a numbered list, you must finish it.

* Consistent spacing before and after subheads, quotes, etc.

When you’ve polished your article to the best of your ability, you are ready to send it off to an editor. Here are a few more tips that will help you gain an edge:

* It never hurts to obtain a second opinion. Have a trusted writing buddy critique your article.

* If you want to write for a particular magazine, read and study the publication. Identify the style and personality of the articles they are publishing and write yours to match. Observe details like length, subheads, bulleted lists, sidebars, etc.

* Send what the editor wants. If they ask you to query first, send only a query, but if they accept full manuscripts, send it with a cover letter.

* Be aware of how the editor wants you to send your submission, via e-mail, snail mail or fax. Every publication is different.

* If you have a request for a full manuscript, send it promptly! To delay can mean missing a prime opportunity.

* Meet all deadlines. Don’t sabotage your reputation by throwing the editor’s schedule into a tailspin.

If you are working on improving your self-editing skills, you may also benefit from these articles:

“Five Mistakes Beginning Writers Make: And How to Fix Them”