Improving prose without a trainer

Independent prose practice combines explicit study of language with exercises, self-testing and review of corrections. A writer can build a curriculum, practise one skill at a time and use patterns in editorial feedback to improve later drafts.

A curriculum with exercises and answers

Writers without a formal training programme should build their own curriculum and include quizzes with answers so that they can test their skills. ^{1, 2} Studying parts of speech, sentence diagramming and basic syntax can improve prose: one editor reported dramatic, lasting changes within days in writers whose work had previously required extensive correction. ^{1, 3} Some of those writers had been shocked by extensive editing and regarded it as arbitrary or heavy-handed. ³

In 2010, a copyeditor-training routine used Capital Community College’s free Guide to Grammar and Writing during new employees’ first days. ^{1, 2} The routine was to read the discussions, take the quizzes and watch the sentence-diagramming presentation. ^{1, 2} Two continuing practices supported it: diagram confusing or awkward sentences, and consult a dictionary when uncertain about a word’s possible parts of speech rather than guessing. ¹ A comparable resource can be used, provided that it includes quizzes. ²

Diagramming tests syntax rather than meaning: “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously” is nonsensical but grammatically structured. ² Naturally fluent writers can still benefit from explicit syntax knowledge, particularly as editors, because it provides a basis for deciding which changes are necessary and explaining them to authors. ^{1, 4} Such explanations can earn authors’ respect and help them improve their writing. ¹

Practice in manageable parts

Writing and editing skills should be practised one at a time, repeating the parts until they can be combined into the whole. ⁵ The component skills include the following. ⁵

1. Grammar.
2. Sentence structure.
3. Punctuation.
4. Transitional elements.
5. Paragraphing.
6. Rhetorical effect.
7. Microediting.
8. Macroediting.
9. Proofreading.
10. Copyediting.

⁵

Practice does not require an editing assignment: newspapers, novels and even packaging provide opportunities to notice poor writing and work out corrections. ⁵ The aim is to train recognition of problems and the judgement needed to correct them wherever they occur. ⁵ Writing regularly is another way to refine writing ability. ⁶

Learning from repeated corrections

Editorial feedback should be reviewed for recurring verbosity, habitual fallback phrases, jargon and other problems. ⁷ Writers should seek an editor who values accurate, precise, elegant and memorable expression. ⁷

A language model can also be used to compare a draft with an experienced editor’s corrected version. ^{8, 9} In a 2023 demonstration, the learning prompt followed this sequence. ^{8, 9}

1. Assign the role of expert scientific-writing tutor.
2. Provide the original draft and the version corrected and improved by an experienced editor.
3. Ask for patterns in the language the editor corrected.
4. Request a bulleted list of shortcomings.
5. Ask how future writing can be improved using that feedback.

^{8, 9}

The writer using this approach found that it broke down recurring mistakes and provided useful analysis for personal learning. ⁹