The “Eye” of Editing

Most people know what proofreading is—reading through a document to look for and correct any misspellings or typographical mistakes.

However, not many people know what it is like to take advantage of the skills of an Editor.

An Editor looks at your document with a different set of “eyes.” Yes, she looks for the same types of general errors that a proofreader does, but then goes the extra mile. At the very least, editors check for grammar errors and awkward sentences. At their best, editors help you say what you want to say, better than you have written it.

The easiest method of explaining working with an editor, is to show you—I am working on a website with a client that is new to the internet. He would like to use his website as an informational business card or an expanded “Yellow Pages” ad.

The following example is of a portion of the text he has provided for his biography:
Dr. Colter moved to Huntersville from Iowa and opened his practice in 1993. As the first chiropractor in Huntersville “way back” in 1993, Dr. Colter has seen the tremendous growth of the area over the years and has been an integral part of the community with his involvement in the following organizations:
• Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce
• District Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America for 8 years
• Member of the Optimist Club
• Sponsor of the Huntersville Youth Athletic Association

Here is the edited version of that text:
Dr. Colter moved here from Iowa and opened his practice in 1993. As the first chiropractor in Huntersville “way back” then, Dr. Colter has experienced the tremendous growth of this area. Over the years, he has been an integral part of the community through his involvement in the following organzations:
• Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce
• District Chairman of the Boy Scouts of America for 8 years
• Member of the Optimist Club
• Sponsor of the Huntersville Youth Athletic Association

Thank you to Dr. Colter and the HFC staff for your permission to share this example!

Thanks for sharing a few minutes with me.
Ellen

Ellen Wass Beckerman
Writer/Photographer/Graphic Designer
Photography portfolio: www.istockphoto.com/zmacgal
www.gardentextures.com