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Reviewing Your Writing: Four Eyes Are Better Than Two
No matter how talented or experienced a writer you are, critical input from sharp-eyed reviewers will improve your work.
One of the most powerful tools to help you write better is peer review. I cannot overstate the value of having selected individuals carefully critique what you write before you release it to the world or submit it to a publisher. Preparing a high-quality article or book includes these four steps: your own review and self-editing, peer review of the manuscript (also called beta reading), copy editing, and proofreading. This article address the first two of those steps.
As I reflected on how I learned to write, I realized that I benefited greatly from two college professors who took the time to give me detailed critical feedback on papers I had written. I experienced cognitive dissonance when a history professor returned my paper looking like someone had hemorrhaged red ink on it, but with a big “A” on the top. I asked him about this apparent conflict. He replied, “Oh, it was a good paper. I just gave you some suggestions for improving your writing.” By studying their feedback, I learned how to craft better papers, and then magazine articles, and then books.
