You have to edit. There’s no way around. If you’re lucky enough to have a professional writer in your office, then you have it easy. Send your stuff along to him or her and get on with your other tasks. But, if you’re like many of us, self-editing is your only option.

Here’s a few tips I’ve learned in my own self-editing adventures.

1. Take your time. Give yourself as much time as possible between writing and editing. Maybe you only have a few hours. Write and then go to lunch or write something else. Then go back to your first piece and edit. If you have a few days, even better. A little time away from your writing will help you see it with fresh (and more critical) eyes.
2. Don’t edit on the fly. Writing is writing, and editing is editing. Write first, then edit. If you try to edit as you write, you’ll just have to edit again later, and you’ll frustrate yourself with over thinking what you’re writing.
3. Use your voice. And I don’t mean your writing “voice” I mean the voice you sing with. Read your work aloud. You’ll catch awkward phrases and all those misplaced homonyms that spell check will miss.
4. Share the load. Give officemates or even family members an opportunity to look over what you’ve written. This should help you improve clarity and catch remaining problem phrases.

What about you? What methods do you use, and what tips can you share for making self-editing more effective and efficient? Let us know in the comments!

Common grammar blunders to avoid.

I won’t lie. Affect and effect still trip me up sometimes. I’m guessing I’m not alone.

In general, the easiest way to remember if you should use affect or effect is to first figure out if your word is a noun or a verb. Affect is generally used as a verb, and effect is usually used as a noun. Not sure? Try this: If you can replace the word with the noun result-and your sentence works and has the same meaning-you should use effect. Otherwise, you should use affect. Unfortunately, sometimes, effect is used as a verb and affect as a noun. No wonder we all still have trouble!

99% of the time, in your own writing, you’ll be using effect, the noun, or affect, the verb. Learn to tell the difference between those two parts of speech, and remember that effect is a noun and affect is a verb, and you really should have very little trouble. But how do you remember which is which?

Here, I bow to the superior knowledge of Grammar Girl. Click here to visit her Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing on effect and affect.

One of those unpleasant situations you’ll face when you write your own copy.

It happens to the best of them, so I’m told. Writers block. That moment when you sit down to write and nothing comes to mind. You can’t think of a single thing to write. Or maybe you can think of a line, but a single line won’t do.

One tip for overcoming writers block is to simply start writing. It’s easier to fix something that’s not well done than it is to fix nothing. So, just sit down and start writing that property description or homepage copy. Just make sure to take time to edit your work later.

Another tip is to unplug your internet and turn off your phone. Now, you don’t want to be completely disconnected; as a real estate agent, you need to be available when your clients need you. But, if you’re struggling with writers block, one of the best things you can do is to take away distractions.

Did you leave that one line on the page last night when you left the office? Start back in on it first thing in the morning, when your mind is at its freshest and you haven’t had to begin reacting to the incoming tasks and distractions of the day.

Take a walk! Walking will give you a change of scenery, some fresh air, and get your blood pumping. You’ll come back to your desk refreshed and recharged, and while your body was engaged, your subconscious mind may have solved a few of your conundrums.

Well, that’s about it for my tips. What about yours? Do have other methods of overcoming writers block? Share your tips in the comments. I’d love to learn some new tricks!

Common grammar blunders to avoid.

Try as I might, I couldn’t come up with a silly near-homophone to throw into this exposition on its and it’s. Were yurts and tutus as good as it gets? Perish the thought!

Small as they are, its and it’s are rather difficult to learn to use properly, and as a result, quite commonly misused. Let’s see if we can remedy the situation a bit, shall we?

Its and it’s have the same root word: it. It is a gender-neutral singular pronoun used for objects, groups, a concept or abstract idea, activity, animals whose sex isn’t known, or as an impersonal subject of the verb to be, especially to refer to time, distance, or weather. You might not believe me, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. It is yet another word for which there are many, many entries in the dictionary. I encourage you to look it up yourself

The most likely reason that its and it’s are so difficult is the fact that they’re in reverse of the normal grammatical rules and conventions. Normally, to pluralize a word, we add an s, and an apostrophe-s to show possession, and an s-apostrophe to indicate plural possession. But it is always singular, so no need to make for plural or plural possessive.

So what to do when it owns something? Under normal grammatical rules, we’d just go with it’s, but it is a grammatical black sheep. When it owns something we add the s with no apostrophe and get its.

For example: That dog is angry and baring its teeth. Its hair is standing on end.

So what does it’s mean? It’s is a contraction or shortening of two words, the phrase it is.

For example: You can tell by the clouds that it’s about to rain.

An easy way to remember the correct usage of its and it’s is to replace them with it is. If it is works, use it’s. Otherwise, it must own something and you’d use its.

Common grammar blunders to avoid.

I like to give folks the benefit of the doubt, and assume that when I see the homophones too and to misused that it’s actually just a typo. Maybe I’m naïve. So, here’s a quick reminder on when to use too and to, two and tutu too!

Too is an adverb that means “also” or “excessively.”

To is a preposition with so many uses that it would put you to sleep to read them all.  There are literally 27 indications of its use on dictionary.com, and I invite you to read them all if you’re curious.

If that’s too much of a brain bender, or you simply don’t have the time, it might help to use this simple mnemonic, “too has too many o’s” or an excessive number of o’s. If you’re using too when you mean excessive or also (”in addition,” which is related to excessive) then you’d use too, otherwise use to.

It’s rare to see the noun two misused. It represents the numeral 2. And don’t forget that tutu is not a short form of “to too”, but rather a noun referring to the short, full skirts worn by ballerinas. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with that one.

Here are a few examples before I go.

Correct: He went to the zoo.

Correct: That shirt belongs to Sue.

Correct: They want to help

Incorrect: I’m to tired.

Incorrect: We’re going shopping to.

Correct: I’m too tired.

Correct: He spent too much.

Correct: We’re going shopping too.

Incorrect: I want too walk.

Incorrect: They went too church.

Correct: Those two girls took too many tutus to the show. (Am I good or what?)

The first of many in a series on common grammar blunders to avoid.

You’re and your are two words-well, a word and a contraction-that are commonly misused. When rolling off your tongue, they sound identical, but in print, they have different meanings and must be used properly, not interchangeably. In contrast, the word yurt is almost never used when you’re or your are meant, after all, a yurt is a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed structure used as a home by Central Asian nomads.

As a real estate agent, you may someday have occasion to use the word yurt, and I expect if you do, you’ll use it appropriately. On the other hand, I’m confident that everyone reading this has used both you’re and your in print, and at least one of you could use a refresher on when each should be used.

The contraction you’re is a combination of the words you and are. If “you are” would be appropriate in a sentence, then feel free to use “you’re.” Below are a few examples of you’re in action.

Correct: You’re going to love this view!

Correct: If you’re smart, you won’t pass up this opportunity.

Correct: You’re too late.

Incorrect: You’re wife needs to be at the signing as well.

Incorrect: You bet you’re life!

In the last two examples, the word your should have been used. Your is the possessive form of the pronoun you and is properly used to refer to something that belongs to “you.” If “you are” doesn’t work in a sentence, then your is the word you want. Here are a few examples.

Correct: Your husband will need to sign as well.

Correct: I’ll have the keys to your new home with me.

Correct: Your car is parked out back.

Incorrect: Your not going to believe this deal.

Incorrect: I think your going to like this.

As an agent, beyond selling listings, you’re primarily selling yourself and your services. It’s imperative that in print you appear like the professional you are. Correct grammar is a key component to looking professional in print. Here are a few final examples for you.