The Process Of Writing
The process of writing is not one to be considered facile, even though some might argue that there’s not a more effortless way to make money than to write. Little do they know about the gruesome process that takes place before presenting a finished write-up!
Beginning from the innate level of mental creativity that a writer has to exhaust by putting the thoughts, ideas and images in his/her head into actual words and sentences, to the gruelling process of the editing work to be done.
Then comes the point when you’re at the finishing line of an article or a write-up, and you feel an increasing need to perfect your hard work in every possible manner. This is when having the write-up rechecked and reviewed with a second eye and a fresh perspective comes in handy.
Here are a few of the methods that we can implement, in order to do that.
Proof-reading, to be quite simply put, is the concept of slowly and carefully skimming through a text, in order to ensure that there are no misspellings, punctuation and/or grammatical mistakes.
In the case of errors, the proofreader will have to rectify the text until it is fault-free.
| S. No. | Services |
| 1. | Correction of any form of error. |
| 2. | Clearing up of inconsistencies of any sort. |
Editing can be defined as the art of making an umpteen number of changes for the betterment of an article or a text.
Altering words and phrases, adjusting and readjusting the punctuations, and restyling entire sentences in order to refine the core essence of the text fall under the wide margin of editing.
| S. No. | Services |
| 1. | Making changes to improve quality. |
| 2. | Refining the core essence to enhance reader experience |
Para-phrasing refers to the act of rewriting a sentence, an article, or a text in a manner that induces more clarity upon the meaning of the text.
In other words, it could be summed up as the enhancement of a text by having it rewritten. Its purpose is to achieve clarity to better understand the essence of the text.
| S. No. | Services |
| 1. | Rewriting the text for better grasping. |
| 2. | Retains the initial sense of the text. |
| DIFFERENCES | PROOF READING | EDITING | PARAPHRASING |
| Turn-Around Time | The required turn-around time is low. | The required turn-around time is slightly high due to the comparatively intensive degree of work. | The required turn-around time is considerably high since the level of work done is larger in volume. |
| Collaboration | Requires zero to minimum collaboration between the author and the proof-reader. | Collaboration is a requirement since the editor has to work with the author to make the necessary changes. | Collaborative efforts are needed between the author and the paraphrasing expert in order to retain the initial sense of the text. |
| Changes In Word Count | Does not include a deliberate increase or decrease in word count. | The facility of an increased or decreased word count is available. | There will be a natural increase or decrease in the word count due to the complete change in the wording of the text. |
| Focus | Attends to the issues on the surface level. | Attends to the issues at the core of the written text and its’ writing. | Attends to the issues of the clarity and essence of the text by having it completely rewritten. |
| Consistency Of Definition | The global definition of the term remains the same. | The definition of the term has a varying frequency depending on the level of editing required to be done. | The definition of the term can more or less be considered to be consistent throughout the numerous global platforms. |
| Characteristics | Incriminates and removes any misspellings, grammatical mistakes, punctuation or formatting errors, and any general inconsistencies in the text. | Enhances the quality of the text by enabling the text to be more relevant and graspable, and of higher standards. | Changes the wordings of the text, ergo, rewording the text as a whole while securing the initial meaning and essence of the text. |
| Draft | Proofreading is done on the final draft of the text. | Editing is done from the first to the final draft of the text as it aims for perfection. | Paraphrasing could be done on the first or final draft of the text, it depends solely on the writer and the paraphrasing expert. |
| Result | Results in an error free version of the already well written text. | Results in an error free as well as an improved version of the text. | Results in a completely reworded and different version of the text while maintaining the initial meaning. |
Author,
Karenina Parker
The WriteSmartly Team
