Tips for working with writers

This week we learned a lot about how to work well with writers. I think this is really important stuff to know, cuz all the editing skills in the world won't help you if you don't know how to work with people. Here are the tips that I came up with for being a good writing coach:
1. Take an interest in the writers’ outside lives. Obviously when it’s crunch time you don’t want to sit and ask how their kids are doing, but there’s always ways to find time to find out a little more about the human behind the writer. The better of a rapport you can get with your writers, the better team you’ll make.
2. Encourage a little creative wiggle room. Newspapers have been changing a little bit recently to keep up with the times, and I think a little more creativity in the writing would go a long way. I think so many journalists are afraid of stepping away from what they know works, but after a while, the conventions get boring.
3. Leave your bad mood at home. This is hard, but I think it’s essential when you’re working with someone else’s work. If they see you’re in a bad mood, they may assume that it’s because of their writing, and this’ll cause problems.
4. Read writing outside of work. The more you read, the better editor you’ll be. You’ll find new things that you like, and some that you want to stay away from.
5. Love what you do. This may seem like a duh thing, but I’ve seen too many people who quickly become frustrated with editing. Editing can be just as fun and creative a process as writing. It can lead you to discover something new. Go about it with enthusiasm, and it’ll rub off on your writers.

Now onto the editing mistake. I found this from a news release on the website Rotten Tomatoes: "The Tomb would be directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, King Arthur), and is about an architect who must escape from the super prison that helped design." It should read, "who must escape from the super prison that he helped design." It doesn't make much sense if you leave out the 'he'!