Category: editing your writing

editing, editing your writing

5 Common Business Writing Woes Free AI Editors Can Resolve

With the right free AI editors, you can sort your gibberish into everyday English. Or the tools could inspire you to find the right terms.

In this list, I left out ProWritingAid, copy.ai, and similar tools, which are better writers.

Also not included:

  • Stand-alone browser extensions or smartphone apps
  • Those that offer trials–these cost nothing, but most of them have limits

A few of them might be unavailable outside the U.S. without access through a virtual private network (VPN).

Remember: Don’t rely on free AI editors alone, especially in your first-round editing, because they’re error-prone (like us). They’re not the rake that catches every mistake. 🙂

1. Long words and sentences – They’re often harder to read. Many generative AI writing apps don’t focus on readability. By default, some, like ChatGPT, write at a high school level. If you’ve used Microsoft Word, you’re probably familiar with Flesch-Kincaid reading levels, which measure how understandable writing is at certain education or grade levels.

Solutions: 

2. Incorrect usage – Typos and poor grammar have littered many rough drafts. Sometimes, you’ve spelled the word right but have used it in the wrong context. The “eyes” of AI can spot these and more errors. Beyond spell-check, Grammarly flags grammar failures and suggests better wording. Its open-source cousin, LanguageTool, does the same and can also paraphrase passages.

Solutions: Grammarly; LanguageTool 

3. Abstract terms – Vague words and phrases like “providing solutions” don’t hook readers. Concrete terms are more likely to paint pictures in readers’ minds. If you can’t create images with words, use AI to sketch details. 


Solutions: ChatGPT or Claude via prompts; Wordtune

Example:

A financial advisor’s solution, which may also work as a unique selling proposition (USP): helping entry-level workers manage their money better to save for retirement.

4. Businessese – This formal language businesspeople sometimes speak reeks of jargon and self-importance. The right editing tools turn this gibberish into everyday English. Given some AI apps’ tendencies to write formally, you’ll likely need to ask them to simplify the wording, do it yourself, or use the following tools.

Solutions: Grammarly, The Hemingway App, Ludwig.guru, Wordtune

Grammarly also measures tone. The Hemingway App shows you where to shorten and clarify sections. For phrases that don’t seem to fit, Ludwig spotlights examples of common usage.

5. Blandness – If your content is as exciting as yacht rock, AI editors can add analogies, examples, facts, quotes, or statistics instantly. Use these ingredients sparingly. And remember to check your sources, because AI sometimes fudges details. Try these apps to add spice to entice readers.

Solutions: Wordtune; ChatGPT, Claude, or Bing Compose via prompts

Want to boost your editing skills beyond the basics? A coach with business writing experience can steer you to the right words, with or without AI.

BOOK A FREE COACHING CONSULTATION

Do you use AI to edit and proofread? If so, what’s your “go-to” software? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“#1 best practice for editors using AI: you MUST fact-check any AI-generated content for plagiarism, falsehoods, outdated information, biased information, and made-up information.” ~ Dragonfly Editorial

  • Published: October 3, 2023
  • Last updated: November 24, 2023

editing, editing your writing

5 Editing Apps That Improve Your Writing

1. Grammarly – Given the limits of its human programmers, its artificial intelligence isn’t perfect, but among editing apps, it’s still fairly accurate. You get to decide whether to accept its suggestions. The free version checks for errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The paid version does more detailed diagnoses, including scanning for clichés and the passive voice. It also has a plagiarism checker.

2. The Hemingway App – I can’t rave enough about it. Even with years of writing experience, once I started using it, the quality of my work improved greatly. It doesn’t just determine the reading level, it also highlights long sentences, adverbs, “big” words, misspellings, and the passive voice. But you need to figure out the editing yourself. 🙂 The desktop version is free and you can use the mobile app for a fee.

3. Word Hippo – None other than Ann Handley has anointed it, which makes it gospel — it’s a “must use” to prompt the writing muse. 🙂 This literary “Swiss Army” knife offers everything from a thesaurus to a rhyming dictionary and a word finder. Use it as a desktop or a smartphone app.

4. Word Counter – This web-based app lives up to its name and then some. It also offers grammar and spell-check, a thesaurus, and advice on case style and SEO keyword density. “Auto-save” is another helpful feature. And it tells you how long it takes to read your writing.

5. Cliché Finder – Another one of the “bare bones” editing apps born in the web’s infancy, it spots commonly used words and phrases, which appear in bold red text. It doesn’t suggest alternatives, so you need to do the work yourself. Creating your own similes and metaphors can guide you toward more inspired phrasing.

Apps can’t always catch every mistake. Having someone look over your content and revise it for you can ensure your copy is error-free. Contact me.

Which apps do you use to edit your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“I did a couple of writing seminars in Canada with high school kids. These were the bright kids; they all have computers, but they can’t spell. Because spell-check won’t [help] you if you don’t know ‘through’ from ‘threw.’ I told them, ‘If you can read in the 21st century, you own the world.’ Because you learn to write from reading.” ~ Stephen King

“Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

editing, editing your writing, improve your copyediting, improve your editing, improving your copyediting, improving your editing, improving your writing, proofreading

5 Ways to Improve Your Editing

1. Read – Well-written books and articles can help you improve your editing through exposing you to different words and writing styles. Grammar and editing guides also offer plenty of advice on English usage.

2. Cut – Try removing words from your sentences; if they don’t add to the overall meaning, they’re often not necessary.

3. Get expert help – If you’re uncomfortable with words, or feel you need more than a little advice, talk to someone you trust who knows English well. Ask them to mark up one of your pieces so you can see where you need to improve. Or talk to an experienced pro (like me). Many of us are better at editing others’ work than we are at our own.

4. Use software – Grammar apps and software with spell-check can help. If time is tight, they can ease the editing process, but they don’t catch everything.

5. Practice – As your confidence grows and you gain a better understanding of the basics of good writing, edit others’ work. One way to do this is to join a writing group.

What has helped you improve your editing? Feel free to comment below.

Need help with your editing or proofreading? Contact me to fix the flow and sound like a pro.

Quotes

“In art, economy is always beauty.” ~ Henry James

“When in doubt, delete it.” ~ Philip Cosby

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

business communication, business writing, editing, editing your writing, proofreading

5 Do-It-Yourself Business Writing Proofreading Hacks

by

Michelle Troutman

1. Know your weaknesses – Do you tend to write long sentences, repeat certain words, or have other verbal tics? Being aware of your bad habits can help you focus on what to cut in a pinch. For example, you can search your copy for repeated words or phrases and replace them with appropriate synonyms to improve the flow.

2. Change the font size or color – This tip has helped me see my copy in a new way. Errors seem to pop out more, especially after I get used to reading the same text over and over. Just remember to change it back to normal later, if necessary. 🙂

3. Remember readability – Microsoft Word and similar software use the Flesch-Kincaid readability scale to score your writing by grade level. Grade eight or nine is common for easy reading, but some grammar experts suggest you aim for a sixth-grade level. The Hemingway App follows an algorithm. To improve readability, use few, if any, words with three syllables or more. And shorten your sentences.

Example: Individual (five syllables: in/di/vid/u/al)
Revised: Person (two syllables: per/son)

4. Use a checklist – Grammar and style books sometimes have lists of common errors at the back, which can be especially helpful for new writers. This is among the proofreading hacks that are best to save for last. My newsletters also offer some usage tips.

5. Keep it in context – Does everything make sense? Does it add up? Names and numbers can be easy to gloss over. Even if every statement is correct, your wording could confuse readers. This is a sometimes overlooked part of making your writing easy to understand.

What are some of your favorite proofreading shortcuts? Feel free to comment below.

Need help with your editing or proofreading? Contact me.

Quotes

“Let the reader find that he cannot afford to omit any line of your writing because you have omitted every word he can spare.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Write without fear. Edit without Mercy.” ~ Unknown

business communication, business writing, editing, editing your writing, wordiness, writing advice, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing well

5 Ways to Say More With Less in Your Business Writing

1. Cut the qualifiers – “Very,” “really,” and other qualifiers can bloat your writing. Remove them to say more with less.

2. Watch your adverbs – These words usually end in “-ly.” Use them sparingly, only when you need to make a point. They’re usually a sign you should trim the fat.

Example: “The car rolled down the driveway slowly.”
Revised: “The car crawled down the driveway.”

3. Look at adjectives objectively – Like adverbs, adjectives aren’t always necessary. Often, you don’t need them unless they’re relevant to your subject matter.

Example: “Made of high quality steel, these knives are tough enough to slice tin cans.”
Revised: “Made of quality steel, these knives slice through the toughest tin cans.”

4. Be less specific – Instead of writing a long description or explanation, link to another article on the topic to give readers more info. Also, in your wording, you can move from the specific to the general:

Example: “We looked at three houses on Elm Street and one on Forest Avenue before we made an offer on our current home.”
Revised: “We looked at four houses before we made an offer on our current home.”

5. Think visual – Focus on how best to format blocks of text for easier reading. Especially for items in a series or lists, numbers and bullet points are your best friends. For a practical and attractive way to simplify complex information, try using columns. For a more visual approach, infographics can attract attention to your topic.

Advice from an experienced wordsmith can help you learn how to “weed” your words for better growth as a writer and gain you the right leads.

BOOK A FREE COACHING CONSULTATION

What are some of your favorite ways to say more with less? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” ~ Blaise Pascal

“The poem is a form of texting…it’s the original text. It’s a perfecting of a feeling in language — it’s a way of saying more with less, just as texting is.” ~ Carol Ann Duffy