Editing Fundamentals

Instructor: Lisa Overedit@articulatewriting.com

Objectives

You will be able to Distinguish between the levels of

edit Work with authors and designers Preserve the author’s meaning

and voice Edit for the reader Offer constructive comments Determine your fee Avoid over-editing

What is Good Writing?

Is good writing simply writing with correct grammar and punctuation?

What is Editing?

Editing improves formatting, style, and accuracy of text to make it clear, cohesive, coherent, and consistent.

What is Editing?

Two kinds of editing Substantive edit Copyedit

What are the Editor’s Responsibilities?

Preserve the author’s meaning and voice

Provide readers with good writing Offer constructive comments

Preserve the Meaning and Voice

Ask the writer questions Ask yourself questions Always inform the writer of changes Be flexible

Provide Readers with Good Writing

Eliminate Jargon Know the jargon common to the

author’s topic Know the audience’s background Offer suggestions for defining or

changing terms

Provide Readers with Good Writing

Eliminate Colloquial Writing Know idioms and their meaning Offer suggestions for making the

wording more original Idiom Examples Idiom Worksheet

Provide Readers with Good Writing

Provide readers with writing that is …and that has

appropriate Clear Cohesive Coherent Concise Precise

Emphasis Tone

Clear Writing

Characters are expressed as subjects. Actions are the actions of the main

characters and are expressed as verbs.

Clear Writing

“The implementation of the new mathematics curriculum by the department depends on agreement among the faculty.”

“The faculty must agree with the new mathematics curriculum before the department can implement it.”

Clear Writing

Voice is active except where passive voice would shift the topic to the beginning of the sentence

Clear Writing

“Black holes are dark regions in space that hold many secrets. A star creates a black hole when it’s gravity pulls its gases so tightly together that the star collapses into a ball about the size of a marble.”

“Black holes are dark regions in space that hold many secrets. A black hole is created when a star’s gravity pulls its gases so tightly together that the star collapses into a ball about the size of a marble.”

Cohesive Writing

Sentences form a connected line of thought: Familiar information is at the beginning and unfamiliar information is at the end.

Cohesive Writing

“Black holes are dark regions in space that hold many secrets. A black hole is created when a star’s gravity pulls its gases so tightly together that the star collapses into a ball about the size of a marble….”

This tightly compressed matter changes the space around it so that anything that comes near the space is sucked in and compressed.

Coherent Writing

Each paragraph develops one idea/topic.

Ideas are well-organized from one paragraph to another.

Coherent Writing

“Black holes are dark regions in space that hold many secrets. A black hole is created when a star’s gravity pulls its gases so tightly together that the star collapses into a ball about the size of a marble. This tightly compressed matter changes the space around it so that anything that comes near the space is sucked in and compressed….”

This strong gravitational pull is what makes black holes so mysterious. No one can get close enough to uncover their secrets.

Concise Writing

Each word advances your meaning. Each paragraph conveys the most

information and all necessary details in the fewest words.

Concise Writing

“It is necessary that we not forget to explain the basic and fundamental information users need in order to perform the tasks in an accurate manner.” We must explain… the basic information… users need to perform … the tasks accurately.

Concise Writing

“We must explain the basic information users needs to perform the tasks accurately.”

Precise Writing

Correct factsVerify the factsAvoid misleading terminologyAvoid overstatements or

understatementsReveal all the information the users

needRespect legitimate rights of privacy

and confidentiality

Precise Writing

Exact WordsSpecific and concreteSimple and familiarAnalogies and word picturesCommonly Confused Words (PDF)Homonyms, Homophones, and Ho

mographs (PDF)

Common Mistakes (PDF)

Appropriate Emphasis

Short, simple information is at the beginning and long, complex information is at the end.

Appropriate Emphasis

“People who believe a process or outcome conflicts with their moral beliefs will oppose it.”

“People will oppose a process or outcome if it conflicts with their moral beliefs”

Appropriate Tone

Tone is the personality behind the message.

Tone conveys the writer’s distance from the audience and the writer’s attitude about the subject. Personal or impersonal Objective or biased

Appropriate Tone

Three levels of tone Informal Semiformal Formal

Offer Constructive Comments

Awkward Unclear Abstract Dense

Complex Indirect Choppy Disorganized

Avoid telling how you feel

Offer Constructive Comments

Be more specific avoid using so many prepositional

phrases put your ideas in logical order use connectors to clarify logical

relationships write short sentences too ‘wordy’

Avoid addressing the symptoms

Offer Constructive Comments

This reminds me of…an analogy may convey your message better.

Make your main character the subject of this sentence

Start sentence with something familiar to “ground” the reader

You have two ideas in this paragraph. Break it up.

Make comments specific and helpful

Avoid Over-editing

Ask yourself “why?” Why do I want to change it?

To improve the organization, readability, or usability?

To clarify ideas? To make it correct or consistent?

Avoid Over-editing

Edit in phases1. Substantive issues2. Clarity, cohesion, coherence,

emphasis, and tone3. Grammar and mechanics

Career Tips

Portfolio Editing Career Links

Stylebooks and Style Sheets

Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition Associated Press Stylebook

Stylebooks and Style Sheets

Company and Project Style Sheets Example: When using a technical

term for the first time, put it in boldface font, briefly define it in the text or in the margin depending on how complex it is, and include the new term in the glossary.

Companion Web Site

References

Williams, Joseph M. (2005) Stlye: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, 8th ed. Pearson Education, Inc.

Lannon, John M. (2006) Technical Communication, 10th ed. Pearson Longman.