This morning, I was in a Words Count writing session with Coach Linton McClain. In this session, he was working from his car between client meetings. When he’s out and about visiting clients, he has his phone with him, but he doesn’t lug around his computer. Instead of editing on his computer, today he was doing some micro-editing from his mobile phone.
You can’t see much of a document on a mobile phone screen. Depending on how much you zoom in, you can only see about one or two paragraphs. This is a great time to do some micro editing, to analyze the structure of a paragraph or sentence.
What is Micro Editing?
Micro-editing involves checking your paragraphs and sentences for things like:
- spelling
- punctuation
- style
- word choice
- phrases
Linton is a professional coach, so he knows all about creative problem solving. Time between client meetings could be a waste of time. Instead, he turns it into productive time to do some micro editing.
“Even when you only have your mobile phone with you, you can continue to make progress on your writing,” Linton says. “I don’t want to lug my computer around when I’m out seeing clients, but I have my phone on me all the time,” he says. “So, hey, I can make use of the time in between meetings.”
This is something any writer can do. When you have your mobile phone with you, you can make progress on a writing project. It’s ideal if you’re using something like Google docs or Notion so you can access your documents from all your devices. This increases your odds of making use of in-between time.
You can do micro editing almost anywhere. Whether you’re standing in line at the grocery store, waiting to board a flight, or out and about in your car, you can do some micro editing as long as you have your mobile phone with you.
How Does Micro Editing Fit Into My Writing Process?
Yes, micro editing is a thing. It’s helpful for you to look at your story line and it’s also valuable to analyze particular sentences to see how you might improve them.
If you want to succeed as a writer, you’ll find tremendous benefit in participating in a writing community. It’s important to be around people who understand your challenges as a writer.
When you see what a fellow writer has done to solve a problem, you gain another tool you can use in your writing life. You can find great value in taking part in a writing community where you regularly get these kinds of tips from fellow writers.
Whether you’re interested in micro editing or macro editing, come to Prolific Writers Life Words Count writing sessions, where you can discover new ways to overcome the obstacles you face as a writer. You’ll be surprised at how much more you can accomplish when you regularly get together with fellow writers.
“When I drill down, I see opportunities to bring the paragraph to life more. When I look at one paragraph at a time, I ask myself, is this the best I can do? Is it colorful enough? Is it the right shade? How does it sound? I see what it needs. It’s like editing a movie. Are all the elements there to bring this to life?” Linton asks himself when he’s micro editing. “If you want to succeed as a writer, it’s important to create a writing system you can rely up on and trust.”
Click here to sign up for a Words Count writing session.
Click here to improve your writing process with Coach Linton McClain.
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