32 Editing Tips for Therapeutic Writers

Cut the clutter, keep the depth

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Hi friends

Do you have/want editing tips for your therapeutic writing?

As many of us here are not professional writers, it can be hard to learn the craft. We may juggle writing with client work, jobs, family life, and rest. Sometimes our lack of writerly knowledge can make our therapeutic writing too long, wordy, clunky, or distant. Readers may lose interest before they reach the heart of our message. We could even loose bored subscribers. We may then lose interest ourselves, and give up. You don’t have to spend hours tweaking (life is too short!).

Here are my 32 tips for editing your work to help get your beautiful messages across. I picked these up writing my novel and my therapeutic articles. I’m not an expert, but this is what I learned:

My 32 Tips for Editing Articles

1. If you can’t say it out loud easily, don’t write it.

2. Use a blend of long and short sentences to keep interest. Vary the rhythm and cadence.

3. Use adverbs sparingly. The meaning stays the same, but the sentence is cleaner with more impact. Great writers don’t really need them.

4. Add a touch of beauty. Light, colour, scent, sound, nature, magic. Awaken your reader’s delight!

5. Trying to sound intellectual or superior makes readers feel inferior. Not very therapeutic. Be natural and relatable.

6. Don’t post your first draft. You’ll spot what needs weeding out after a cup of coffee or a good nights sleep.

7. Kill your darlings. This includes favourite sentences or paragraphs that aren’t needed for the flow. If it adds nothing, save them for another post.

8. Read it out loud. You’ll hear what needs smoothing or doesn’t quite make sense.

9. Anything that makes you stumble, reread, or lose momentum: cut it. That’s where your reader will trip too.

10. Send a preview to yourself and read as an email. You’ll get a better sense of tone, pacing, and flow from this fresh angle.

11. Remove all of the short and unnecessary filler words. They add word count, and slow your reader down.

12. Don’t try to replicate someone else’s voice. Yours is unique, beautiful, and exactly what we need to hear. Write as you would to a loved one who needs your words (not mine, Brene Brown or Gandalfs).