5 Tips I Came Up With
1. Don’t act like a know-it-all. Nothing bugs me more than when someone editing my paper acts like they know everything about the subject I am writing about.
2. Watch your tone. You can say all the right things but the way you are speaking could rub the writer the wrong way. You may be in charge of their writing, but not their life.
3. Keep margin comments brief. Don’t get too marker-happy and scratch out all their hard work.
4. It is not your job to rewrite the story. If the story is not what you are looking for in your paper, talk to the writer and have them fix their own work. Don’t go over their head and fix it yourself.
5. Don’t edit the paper until the writer is finished or they ask you. Don’t ask for the paper and start marking it up. Wait until the writer is done, then edit it.
So there you have it! Now when any of you are editing my papers, please have this printed out next to you while doing so.
The editing mistake I found this week was driving on 4th south in Salt Lake. I tried to take a picture but I was driving and didn't want to die. It was a church reader-board that read "Have your life saved BUY Jesus." I thought it was amusing.
I love all of your tips! All of them bother me when my paper is being edited. I took a creative writing class...emphasis on CREATIVE...and there was one boy that would read my paper and try and change the entire thing! He did the same to every person in the class. It was so irritating.
ReplyDeleteI really like your tips, especially the one about not being a know-it-all. It drives me up the wall when people do that! Even if you do know a lot more than the writer, the point of an editor is to educate and encourage the writer, not flaunt your knowledge.
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