In this lesson, you will learn to edit your final draft using a step by step approach.

This step by step approach may sound a bit intimidating, but it’s actually a powerful and fun way to complete the final stage of writing called editing. We call it the final stage because several stages come before it. Editing comes after several revisions, which come after writing and planning. You are not finished with a piece of writing until you have edited your work.

Producing writing that successfully conveys your message in a clear and effective manner is simple when you follow the rules of proper, academic English. This means adhering to the conventions of punctuation, spelling, and subject-verb agreement, for example. Your new editing tools are designed to help you adhere to these conventions and bring you closer to the final destination: a well-crafted piece of writing that makes you feel proud.

You may be surprised to know that this step by step approach is interactive. You can use pencils, markers, or computer software to highlight text and figure out your writing challenges.

Think of this editing strategy as a fix-it shop for your writing. The idea is to look closely at your work after you revise it and fix any issues that remain. Your ultimate goal is to improve the effectiveness of your writing.

Let’s have a look under the hood. First, you will see how this strategy works. Then, we will take it for a spin together using some basic English conventions. Finally, you will go solo and practice using this strategy to identify and fix problems with subject-verb agreement, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.