Information

The Good the Bad and the Ugly: Three Types of Editing

By: Nigel Fogden
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:43:26
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

Q. How many copy editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A. Is "light bulb" one word or two?

Editors have a hand in nearly every piece of writing that makes it to print--and they do a lot more than catch spelling mistakes. If your job involves writing then you need to know what editors do. Broadly speaking, there are three different types of editing--each with a specific purpose.

Substantive Editing

Substantive editing is the most time consuming and difficult type of editing. This is where editors roll up their sleeves and start changing not just the spelling and grammar of your work, but also rewriting and rearranging the content. They do this to improve readability and clarity. It's easy for writers to loose perspective on their work; editors are able to step back from your writing and see problems you might miss--but that your readers wouldn't.

Copyediting

This is the dangling modifiers, gerunds and past participles--copyediting is what most people think of as editing; correcting spelling and grammar mistakes. But copyediting doesn't stop there, it also includes making sure that your document has the correct format and meets the specifications of the publication it's going to appear in. Nobody's writing is perfect--but a good copyeditor can help you get close.

Proofreading

Finally, you've made all of the substantive and copy changes that your editor suggested. You're ready to print, right? Not so fast! Proofreading is the final check of your work that catches that glaring error that everyone else missed. When editors proofread they make sure that all of their corrections have been made and that the layout, table of contents and all of the other details necessary for a professional piece of writing are ready to go.

In reality, these three jobs sometimes overlap, and it's very common for the same editor to do all of them. The lone writer is a romantic image, but the truth is that producing good writing, ready for print, is a team effort. Knowing what your editor does and how they can help you is one of the keys to a successful writing career.

Nigel Fogden is an English teacher and writer with 24 by 5 Tech Comm, a technical writing company that specializes in fast, high-quality, software documentation. For more articles on writing, technology and business, sign up for the 24 by 5 Tech Comm Newsletter at http://www.24by5.com

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Speaking category

  • Eight Most Frequent Mistakes People Make in Front of an Audience - By: Suzanne Bates
    Everyone makes mistakes in public speaking. The key is to identify a lesson learned and try to correct it your next time out. Knowing these eight common mistakes will help you to avoid such gaffes.
  • 6 Speed Reading Myths Debunked - By: Ed Caldwell
    There is so much misinformation about speed reading that as a user for over 30 years, and as an instructor of tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life and all levels of education, I feel compelled to debunk some of the most prevalent and popular myths.
  • Speak and Touch the Heart - By: Balwinder Singh
    Presentations and seminars become all too familiar in the business world. Jim Speaker is there with the overhead projector and PowerPoint slides-each with four of five points. Hours later the seminar is over. Seminars are informative but can be deadly. Just give me the handout and I'll read it at home!
  • Interviewing Your Characters - By: Sonu Kumar
    One of my favorite techniques for getting into the head of my characters is, interviewing them. This relies heavily on rapid writing, so be sure you fully understand that concept first. If you don't, you can read my article "Rapid Writing" on my den. Interviewing characters is exactly how it sounds. You sit down with your characters and interview them, just like you would if you were a reporter.
  • From You v. Me to We: Seven Strategies to Talk to Your Communication Opposite - By: Meryl Runion
    Research concerning communication style uncovers four different communication styles that are determined by two factors - pace and people-orientation.
  • The Changing Role of Language Interpretation - By: Nate Rodnay
    Interpreting involves the orally rendering the meaning of dialog which is spoken in one language into another language while retaining its essence. Interpretation is often thought of as an extension of translation, which is the other basic language service.
  • The Company Identity - By: Nawaz Lakho
    A company Identity is a simple, well formulated and designed, yet self expressing logo or signage, which is the company’s visual identity, it is also called Company brand or Brand Identity. Company Identity designing is a visual aspects of any organization.
  • Three Explosive Ways to Grab Your Audience’s Attention and Keep It - By: Arvee Robinson
    Your goal as a presenter is to grab your audience’s attention and keep it. Although there are numerous ways to open a presentation, I have found three methods to be the most effective, especially when making business presentations.
  • 9 Secrets to Better Speaking - By: Arvee Robinson
    These are just a few of the secrets that professional speakers use to deliver powerful presentations. By using these simple techniques, you too can command your audience’s attention, keep their interest, and move them into action.
  • The Good the Bad and the Ugly: Three Types of Editing - By: Nigel Fogden
    Q. How many copy editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?A.