Being a good writer is one thing, while being a
good editor is completely different. There is a great possibility that someone
is going to ask you to edit or review some type of document at some point of
your career. It may be your boss who needs you to expand a certain report that
has been started by another employee, or it may be your friend who is asking
for help on proofreading a paper.
Whatever the task is, proofreading and editing
someone else’s work can be a real challenge. First of all, it is not easy to
determine the weak sports and the changes that need to be made, as you could
end up making the writer unhappy with the changes, especially if you alternated
their style of expression. Becoming a good editor takes finesse, but as
anything else in life – practice will make you better. Before you start
practicing, take our editing and revising tips into consideration and make your
work much easier!
Measure twice before you
cut!
This saying may sound as a cliché, but it is very
applicable in this situation. Before you make any types of changes in the
document, you should think carefully and take the entire picture into
consideration. Proofreading the document without reading its entire content
first can mislead you into making improper alternations. It is very important
to read the text before you start making corrections, since that is the only
way to get an understanding of the writer’s tone, style and intentions. Being
familiarized with the subject matter is more than necessary if you want to
deliver good editing work.
Another recommendation we can provide is to ask the
writer about the goals they want to achieve with the editing. Some editing
tasks require information checks, others require the document to be expanded, and
some writers simply want the editor to take care of the spelling and grammar
mistakes.
Watch out for the most
common errors: Homonyms
Microsoft Word has a great spelling and grammar
check tool which can take care of most typos, but some of the mistakes within
the document still go by unnoticed. Usage of the wrong word is one of the most
common errors writers make. For example, the use of ensure instead of assure
is quite common. If you are a careful and diligent editor, you will easily spot
these mistakes and correct them.
Pay attention to style
corrections
As an editor, you will sometimes need to alter the
style of the writing. For example, some style guides prefer writing e-mail over email, while others prefer the latter. The best way to be sure of
what you are doing is to consult the style guide of the company or industry the
document belongs to. If there are no such guidelines, you should correct the
writing according to your preferences, but make sure to keep the style
consistent throughout the entire document.
Editors need to research
too!
When you are sure that some pieces of information
within the writing are wrong, but you aren’t sure how to correct them, doing
some research is your only option. The clues of the context may lead you towards
figuring out how to make the correction, but do not make guesses if you are not
100% sure of what you are doing. You can make a note within the document and
consult the writer (or another person responsible for the document) to ask if
they are aware of the mistake and if they can provide you with instructions.
Forget your personal
preferences
Sometimes you just won’t like the writer’s style
and your instincts will tell you to change it more than necessary. If your job
is to only correct the obvious mistakes, the writer may be offended when you
deliver a document that has been completely altered and doesn’t sound like they
have written it themselves. Your job as an editor is to clean up the mess
within the writing while maintaining the writer’s voice and the meaning of the
original sentences.
Conclusion: Editing is a
rewarding job
Being an editor is definitely not easy, but it is a
job that helps everyone in the end. You, as an editor, will practice your
skills and become a better writer through this work, you will make the writer
look smarter in the readers’ eyes, and you will provide the readers with a
better document.
Sandra Miller is a freelance writer, lives in New York. Two times a year watches Friends sitcom, loves salsa. Uses editing service to write great material. Her passion is Latin American culture.
You can find Sandra Miller on Google+
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