7 Simple Edits That Make Your Writing 100% More Powerful by Shane Arthur

There are some bloggers who seem to have a natural gift when it comes to writing. Some bloggers seem to be naturally gifted writers.
They manage to get their ideas across clearly and economically, which means that readers can easily follow what they write. Readers devour their clear, economical prose.
Not only is there a lot of respect for what they have to say, but also the way that they say it. People respect what they say – and love how they say it.
Whenever they publish a new post on their blog, it always gets dozens of comments and hundreds of shares. Every new blog post attracts dozens of comments and hundreds of shares.
It would be great to be as successful as they are, but you don’t know what you need to do to make your writing better. You’d love to emulate their success, but you don’t know how.
The good news is that there’s a secret you can easily learn which will improve everything you write from now on. Fortunately for you, a simple secret can transform your writing forever.

The Unfair Advantage Popular Writers Try to HideYou know your writing heroes? Would you be shocked to learn that their writing is no better than yours?
Sure, the end product is better, but the first draft is just as clumsy, flabby, and downright difficult to read as any of your own writing efforts.
What popular bloggers know that many people don’t know (or don’t want to believe) is that a post isn’t finished simply because they’ve said everything they want to say. In many ways that’s just the beginning.
Think of your draft as a rough diamond. Value is hidden inside it and you need an expert gem cutter to reveal its beauty and clarity.
Which is why many top bloggers hire a professional editor to transform their rough diamonds into gleaming jewels. That’s right – someone else is helping them.
Somewhat unfair, right?
No wonder their writing seems so much better than yours. And even those bloggers who don’t use an editor have simply learned how to edit their own posts like a pro.
Fortunately, editing isn’t rocket science. If you have someone to show you how.
So let’s break down the rules that’ll help you transform your unremarkable draft into a perfectly polished post.
7 Editing Rules That Will Totally Transform Your Next Post1. Don’t Pad Your Prose with Empty Filler Words(Or: Avoid Using Grammar Expletives)Grammar expletives are literary constructions that begin with the words it, here, or there followed by a form of the verb to be.
(Expletive comes from the Latin explere, meaning to fill. Think smelly literary landfill).
Common constructions include it is, it was, it won’t, it takes, here is, there is, there will be.
The problem? When it, here, and there refer to nouns later in the sentence or – worse – to something unnamed, they weaken your writing by shifting emphasis away from the true drivers of your sentences. And they usually require other support words such as who, that, and when, which further dilute your writing.
Let’s look at an example:

There are some bloggers who seem to have…

The there are expletive places the sentence’s focus on some nebulous thing called there instead of the true focus of the sentence – some bloggers. And the writer must then use another unnecessary word – who – that’s three unnecessary words in one unfocused sentence.
Train yourself to spot instances of there, here, and it followed by a to be verb (such as is, are, was, and were) and adjust your sentences to lead with the meat and potatoes of those sentences instead.
(Tip: Use your word processor’s find functionality and search for there, here, and it and determine if you’ve used an expletive).
Other before-and-after examples:
It’s fun to edit – Editing is funIt takes time to write – Writing takes timeThere are many people who write – Many people writeThere’s nothing better than blogging – Nothing’s better than bloggingHere are some things to consider: – Some things to consider are:Caveat: If you previously described an object using there, here, and it, you’re not guilty of an expletive infraction. For example:
I love editing. It’s fun. (This is not an expletive construction since I previously described what it refers to.)2. Don’t Weaken the Action with Wimpy Words(Or: Avoid Weak Verbs; Use Visceral and Action Verbs Instead)Not only does to be conspire with it, there, and here to create nasty grammar expletives, but it’s also responsible for its own class of sentence impairing constructions.
Certain uses of to be in its various forms weaken the words that follow. The solution is to replace these lightweights with more powerful alternatives.
Let’s see some before-and-after examples:
She is blogging – She blogsPeople are in love with him – People love himHe is aware that people love him – He knows people love himOther verbs besides to be verbs can lack strength as well. Use visceral verbs or verbs that express some action. Let’s edit:
Give out – OfferFind out – DiscoverMake it clearer – ClarifyI can’t make it to the party – I can’t attend the partyHe went to Mexico – He traveled to MexicoThink of a blogging strategy – Devise a blogging strategy3. Don’t Cripple Your Descriptions with Feeble Phrases(Or: Avoid Weak Adjectives)Weak adjectives sap the strength from your writing just as nefariously as weak verbs. Use the best adjectives possible when describing nouns and pronouns. And be mindful that certain words, like really and very, usually precede weak adjectives. Take a look:
Really bad – TerribleReally good – GreatVery big – HugeVery beautiful – GorgeousEven if you don’t have a telltale really or very preceding an adjective, you can often give your writing more impact by using stronger alternatives:
Dirty – FilthyTired – ExhaustedScared – TerrifiedHappy – ThrilledEven worse than using weak adjectives is using weak adjectives to tell your readers what something isn’t as opposed to telling them what something is:
It’s not that good – It’s terribleHe’s not a bore – He’s hilariousHe’s not very smart – He’s ignorant4. Trim Flabby Words and Phrases(Or: Avoid Verbose Colloquialisms)Today’s readers have limited time and patience for flabby writing. Their cursors hover over the back button, so say what you mean as concisely as possible before your readers vanish:
But the fact of the matter is – But (Avoid flabby colloquial expressions when possible)Editing is absolutely essential – Editing is essential (Absolutely is redundant)You’re going to have to edit your work – You’ll have to edit your work or You must edit your work (Going to and going to have to are flabby expressions)Due to the fact that editing takes time, some people avoid it – Because editing takes time, some people avoid itEvery single person should love editing – Every person should love editing (Single is redundant; and shouldn’t married people love editing too?