Journalists sometimes research for months and interview dozens of sources just to lose their audience in the first paragraph by failing to capture their attention. Mistakes like jargon, grammatical errors, and lack of clarity can sneak their way in, leading to unclear writing and confused readers. This can be fixed by workshopping leads and nut grafs with punchier language, engaging quotes, and cutting straight to the action.

Here are nine practical tips from veteran copy editors to make the process of reviewing your writing more manageable and effective.