“Of course, I know how to edit,” you might be thinking. “I’ve been writing and editing since I was in second grade.”
But there’s a lot more to the craft of editing than re-reading what you wrote, then hitting the “Edit” command on Word, or dumping your document into Artificial Intelligence with the command, “Make this better.” It’s true that the first editing happens in the writing process, so this blog entry might as well be called “How to Write a Document.”
That’s why I’m writing this – to save you the time, heartache and poor content that comes from not writing/editing correctly the first time. I’ve seen so much poor editing in my 32 years as a professional writer, I’ve decided to vent my spleen here. Lucky you(?). The image of Norman Bates above will make sense further below.
Now, onto the 9 Tips for Effectively Editing a Document
1: Edit Before You Write
This is perhaps the most-important – and most-overlooked – editing strategy. It’s important to talk to the people who have a stake in the document to determine exactly how the content should be built.
In your conversation with stakeholders, ask them the following questions:
What is the intended outcome/goal for this content?
Who is the intended audience for this content?
What subject matter experts or other resources should be included?
What voice – formal, informal, novice, technical, etc. – should be used?
How many words should this be, approximately?
What, if any, art or illustration is necessary for this content?
If this content is information-intensive, is it necessary to establish/research a chronology of events (or a timeline) for what you’re writing?
Who will be proofreading this content?
What editing conventions are we following (in other words, are you following AP Style or the Chicago Manual of Style)?
What will the editing process look like?
What is the deadline for this content?
2: Read the Thing Before Reenacting the ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
This is really hard for many people (including me), but editors need to just read the content all the way through before changing things. If that requires the editor to grab a cup of coffee to keep their hands busy, they should do that. Take a few notes on a separate page or document if necessary. But let the draft stand, as is.
The method behind that madness: If the document needs major reconstructive surgery, line editing a few phrases isn’t going to help it. In fact, you’d just be wasting your time. If content is completely off-target, it’s easier to sit down with the writer and talk to them, without creating a revised document that looks like it spent the night at the Bates Motel or in that chainsaw movie. A rewrite is in order.
3: Decide if it’s Necessary to Go Through the Doc with the Writer
If the content is marvelous and just needs a few edits, you won’t need to connect with the writer to make revisions. You may pass Go and collect $200.
4: Sit Down for Some Old-Style Editing
So, the document needs some work. The following advice comes from my early years in journalism, when editors worked directly with reporters to help them improve as writers. In those days, if a story needed some revisions, an editor would literally sit side-by-side, looking at the original version, and walk through suggested edits.
You might be thinking: “It’s 2024. Why not just rewrite the thing and send it back in Track Changes Red?”
I’m not sure if you’ve been on the receiving end of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre of something you worked hard on, but it’s not pleasant. First off, Track Changes makes edits in red. And there’s no information on why particular changes were made, unless the editor took special pains to write notes about the changes.
The side-by-side editing process – or even a Zoom-call edit – lets the editor discuss their suggestions for improving the content, and allows the writer to hear that reasoning, maybe push back, or maybe even come up with better edits. I’m not saying all sit-down sessions are pleasant, but they’re incredibly efficient and make for more accurate content.
These sessions allow the writer and editor to share joint ownership of the content. There’s less finger-pointing when both parties sign off on changes, in real time.
They also improve the writers’ ability to self-edit, now that they know what their editors are looking for. They also keep the editor honest, if they’re not mindful in the changes they’re making. (I once nicknamed an editor “The Machete” because of their proclivity to splice two completely unrelated paragraphs together without attention to accuracy.)
5: Remember Your SEO Words and Keep them Holy
OK, back to 2024. And it’s all about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and being found, isn’t it?
There’s a ton that web developers can do from the backend to improve search results, but that’s only half of the story. As the content creator/editor, you’ve got to create content that will turn up when someone Googles for expertise, and BLAM, there you are. The key isn’t to repeat four magic search terms in your document like an incantation. Since the secret sauce Google uses isn’t public – and it can change – I’m going to stick with some tried-and-true SEO editing practices that I’ve noticed works:
Choose a headline that perfectly describes the expertise your content offers, or questions it answers.
Incorporate similar if not exact wording that reflects your headline into the body text.
Include weblinks in your content that refer to relevant links on your site and others. Do this often enough, and it will become second nature to you.
Integrate relevant key words and similar words from your headline into photo and art cutlines in your content.
Don’t forget to incorporate those key terms into SEO tags in your Content Management System (CMS). I use Wix’s SEO assistant to up my game. Both my website and I are works in progress, but we’re getting there.
6: Wait a Day and Print it Out
You might be one of three people in your zip code with a working printer. If not, then get one. Print out a copy of your content. Wait a day (if you can). Walk away from all electronic objects, grab a pen and read and edit. There’s something cathartic about being an Analog Human for 20 minutes. Anyway, after you’ve seen the final draft on paper, made your tweaks, and saved the document, you can say you literally did all you could to make your content the best it can be. If you're looking for a printer, the New York TImes' Wirecutter staff has assembled a list of preferred printers here.
7: Get Some Backup Editing
Copy editors are becoming even more scarce than writers/content creators. My entire website was written without the assistance of a copy editor, until I posted it on Facebook and asked my friends (some of whom are copyeditors) to look at it. Every writer needs an editor. If you don’t have one, follow the steps I’ve provided in this guide as best you can. But almost all writing benefits from a pair of smart, independent eyes. One of my favorite articles was edited by a friend of mine. I’m still proud of it. Longer projects definitely need an outside editor. And as I mentioned, AI is good, but humans are better. Sure, use AI. But find a human copy editor. Read this article for my hot takes on this subject.
8: Keep the Life in the Copy
Speaking of AI, I asked it to make the top portion of this blog item more concise. And it did! It stripped out half the words and produced the literary equivalent of a Costco shopping list. It did exactly what you think a robot might to content that addresses the painful editing process. Sadly, human editors can do the same thing. It’s OK to keep some humanity in your content. It’s what humans relate to. Until we’re all replaced with adult-size coppertop batteries (as The Matrix predicts), WE NEED TO INTERACT WITH HUMANS. I have tested positive for humanity. Hire me.
9: Hit the Books
I’m talking about "The Associated Press Style Book," "The Elements of Style," Webster’s (online) Dictionary, etc. Read these books/sites and attempt to remember the rules they contain. Apply these rules when they’re in play. Then, when someone questions your use of a comma, you can point to the rule you applied. (Yes – I argued for four hours in email about my comma use.)
BONUS TIP: Allow only one version of your content to be edited at a time. Don't allow multiple copies of your document to float around for editing. The reason for this might not need an explanation, but I will say it out loud: Who has attempted to incorporate multiple edits from different documents into a single document? Anyone? I have. Was it a miserable experience? Yes.
Those are my Nine Tips on How to Edit a Document. Did you spot an error? Have any thoughts or tips? Please contact me!
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