The Nuts and Bolts, Tips and Tricks of Editing
See Part 1 of this series to understand why editing plays such a vital role in the writing process. Good writing, after all, is basically good editing – even though editors get so little of the glory.
See Part 2 of this series to get a glimpse of the various roles an editor plays in the formation of everything from a blog post to a full-blown novel. Choose one or all of the roles.
How Do You Become an Editor?
Now that you have a number of reasons to become an editor and you know the various levels of editing, it’s time to discuss some of the nitty-gritty details. Like writing, editing is a craft you can learn best by doing.
A few journalism programs still exist in universities around the country, though most don’t have a course of study dedicated to becoming an editor. The best way, and one that most professional editors find works extremely well, is to find a mentor, someone willing to:
- Teach you how to edit
- Coach you for a period of time or through a specific project
- Evaluate your work honestly
- Continue to be available when you have questions or just need one more set of eyes
Getting Down and Dirty
Books on the topic help you learn many of the basics when you want to become an editor. They certainly guide your work, teaching you how to proof content for correct grammar and an appropriate style for the particular piece you’re working on. But there’s nothing like getting your hands dirty with a piece of writing.
Every project you edit is going to be a little different because every writer has different strengths and weaknesses. Some problems you may come up against include:
- Writers who tend to use the same words over and over
- Writers who go off on tangents that don’t support the primary purpose of the project
- Foreign writers who aren’t familiar with connotations, contractions or colloquialisms
- Writers who use too much alliteration
- Writers who fall in love with every word they’ve written
Dealing with Writers
When you become an editor, you work directly with writers. You have to know how to appease them, speak to them and even coddle them. Some writers are easy to work with; they’re eager for advice to make their writing better. Others fight every step of the way.
One approach is to offer suggestions, giving the writer the final say in every decision. For this approach, using Track Changes (in MS Word), Suggestions (in Google docs) or a similar software tool allows you to leave a trail of changes that the writer can follow. The writer, when reviewing the edited work, decides whether to accept each change or not.
This isn’t always easy. You wanted to become an editor to make writing projects better. But just as writers have to let go of their words, sometimes you have to let go of your corrections. Making suggestions instead of hard edits also means more work for you, since you have to justify every major change.
Stating Your Case
Some of your edits are likely to be like no-brainers: poor word choice, incorrect grammar and leaps of logic that seem to come out of the blue. It’s your job to make sure the writer recognizes that your change makes the writing better. You can:
- Leave comments.
- Make notes.
- Be clear about why you made the change or why you requested a revision.
- Suggest ways to fix a problem – providing choices usually gives the writer something to grab onto.
Notes and comments may be the most meaningful, as you can fully explain an issue and provide suggestions for fixing it. You can leave comments no matter what type of technology or tool you use. Even if you’re editing with a red pen, leaving a comment helps you state your case for a change. It is, after all, the reason you chose to become an editor: to educate and ameliorate.
Manipulating Style
When you work with a good writer, most of your edits may come by way of stylistic changes. The most difficult task in writing is connecting with readers – especially in rhetorical writing, where the goal is to persuade readers to consider or take action on a specific topic. The best way to do that is to speak their language.
That’s why editors, like writers, must recognize what drives their intended audience. In this role, you represent the reader; you’re their first and last spokesperson – if you don’t stand up for them, no one else will. This is where editors can really shine. This is where the red pen is mightier than a pair of scissors.
A piece of writing has to be clear, concise and engaging to win over readers. Is it? Does it work? It’s up to you to determine. After all, when you’ve become an editor, you are the expert.
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