It is often easier to edit someone else's copy than to edit our own. That is the first step, certainly, but good editing goes far beyond that. More lecture notes, etc. Editing and rewriting are central to the writing process. One of the keys to good editing is to try to distance yourself from what you have written.
Wordiness is one of the most prevalent weaknesses of writing.
For your midterm, you will be asked to write an inverted pyramid news story. The extra credit opportunity presented two weeks ago is still available. You can take on an assignment to write an inverted pyramid news story for the Alabama Journalist news web site. Click here to find out more. You should review the first five chapters of Writing for the Mass Media for your midterm.