| Back
to Index
How to Be Your Own Editor
By Matthew W. Grant
There is a stigma associated with
writers turning to editors for assistance with their work. Some
people see outside editing as an unfair advantage, a form of literary
cheating. Writers are expected to be able to objectively evaluate
their own work. Interestingly, this is exactly the opposite of
what one finds in other professions. Witness the famous phrase,
“A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient." Let's
not forget, “A lawyer who represents herself has a fool for a
client." Writers are treated differently from these other
professionals, though. Writers are somehow expected to turn in
perfect drafts of novels, articles, work reports, and term papers.
Their work must be edited before it is turned in. Anything less
is considered unprofessional and unacceptable.
Here's the twist
in this story. Best-selling authors, magazine writers, and newspaper
columnists all have editors! That's right, perfection is only
required ahead of time from students, business people, and unknown
writers. Those who have "arrived" suddenly benefit from
editorial guidance and second opinions on
their work before it reaches its final audience.
What's wrong
with this picture? What's a writer who is still in school or hasn't
yet been published to do? One option is to ignore the naysayers. Go right ahead and get help on writing projects
before they are submitted. Ask a friend or a relative who has
a firm grasp of grammar and writes well if he or she will edit
or at least proofread your work. If nobody in your immediate social
circle qualifies, there are many people and companies offering
proofreading and editing services. If time and budget allow, take
advantage of them.
What about when
circumstances force a writer to tough it out alone before turning
in the work? If you're forced to take written matters into your
own hands, here are the things to look for while acting as your
own editor.
Spelling
- Run spell check, but don't rely on it exclusively. Look up words
if you are unsure about them, even if the software approves them.
Never think, "That's close enough," or "They won't
notice," Or "A few spelling mistakes are acceptable."
If you've been the victim of an educational class or system that
told you that spelling doesn't count, then whoever told you that
has done you a disservice. Spelling counts!
Grammar
– Many people advise that you make
sure what you write matches the way you speak. That will work
if you speak correctly all the time. If not, you can easily review
grammar lessons online at no cost if you need a refresher.
Punctuation - Make sure you put in all the
apostrophes and quotes necessary. Double check to make sure you
ended interrogative questions with question marks. It's easy to
just type a period at the end of all the sentences out of habit
Typos
- Blame the gremlin that hides in your keyboard if you want to,
but fix them anyway. Even though people will probably know what
you meant to type, don't make them guess.
Clarity
- When a writer knows what he is saying, he sometimes overlooks
other possible interpretations. "The mother checked on the
baby while she was crying." Who was crying in that sentence?
It could be either one of them. "All the tabloids had to
say that the Hollywood couple
filed for divorce." Does that mean that there were multiple
tabloids and each and every one reported the same story or does
that mean that there were no
other
details available and the tabloids simply had only that one fact
to report?
Consistency
- Verify that whenever there are two or more acceptable forms
of the same word, the same form should be used every time throughout
the piece. Examples to watch for are TV/television and USA/U.S.A/US
of A.
Organization
- Make sure your thoughts flow logically and each idea builds
upon the one before it. You can't make your point if nobody can
find it!
Word
usage - All forms of communication should fit their audiences.
The way a person expresses herself at a Super Bowl party should
be different than in a formal written report to her boss.
Scanning your
work projects or term papers for these different areas will not
only improve the particular assignment on which you're working,
the process sets your brain on the right path for future writing
projects as well. Maybe your readers will be saying, "A writer
who has himself for an editor just may be on to something."
About the author: Matthew W.
Grant is a writer and consultant who founded A+ Editors, an online
writing and editing service. For more information, please visit
A+ Editors.
|