Fix Your Own Wiring? Five Reasons Why It’s Safer to Call a Licensed Electrician
January 31, 2010 – 6:37 pmI feel as if I may have lured you into this blog post under false pretenses because this post is about editing, not wiring, as you will see.
If you are like me, a person who knows absolutely nothing about wiring (I once stuck a screwdriver into a live socket to remove a broken light bulb, but fortunately lived to tell the tale), you would call a licensed electrician the moment you were faced with a wiring issue. Why is it then that many people, people who may know little or nothing about editing documents, do not call professional editors when faced with writing issues?
Let’s make two changes to the headline of this blog post and you will see what I mean when I say this post is about editing:
Fix Your Own Writing? Five Reasons Why It’s Safer to Call a Professional Editor
Here are five reasons why you should call an editor to review and fix your writing before you send it to your intended audience.
A professional editor can ensure
- your opening captures the attention of your audience
- the body holds the interest of your audience
- your call to action or conclusion is clear
- your writing is concise and focused
- your writing is technically sound
An editor can do all of the above more effectively and efficiently than you can probably do it. An editor will save you time and make you look more professional in the eyes of your audience.
You wouldn’t try to fix your wiring if you knew little or nothing about electricity, would you? Or, like me, you might try it once, almost kill yourself, and not try it again. So why try to fix your writing?
If you want the right words to reach your audience, call an editor. That way, when you are running your ad, issuing your report, sending out your proposal, replying to a request for quote, submitting your thesis, or publishing your book, you will feel confident that your writing is saying what you want it to say, and saying it well. And when it comes to communicating, that is a darn good feeling.
Paul Lima is a freelance writer and editor. You can read more about him at www.paullima.com or contact him at info@paullima.com.
