Receiving a Harmonious Edit

Imagine listening to a symphony orchestra playing Beethoven. You love how the flutes carry the melody, appreciate the violins’ soft wail, are moved by the percussion’s booming crescendos. But unless you’re an experienced musician, you certainly couldn’t explain the technicalities of the music nor would you notice nuances from one concert to the next. Writing is similar. Someone with only a remote understanding of language can give you only remote feedback. Someone unfamiliar with content can only vaguely explain whether your content is clear. When choosing an editor, chose an orchestra leader — an expert to help you create harmony from content and style. Ask your editor to

• Provide objective feedback. Make sure your editor provides you with comments based on sound principles and grammar rules, not on taste. Rather than an editor who says:

This newsletter article is incredibly boring.

find one who will say:

Cut those tired phrases and your newsletter article will be mo interesting.

Make sure you have an editor who won’t say:

This bio is totally self-aggrandizing.
but says instead:

This bio needs to focus on your experience, not on you.

Most readers won’t know the right vocabulary. Your editor may want to explain that your report is plagued with repeated ideas, but may say only that it’s slow. Your mission is to self-medicate. Once your reader has pointed out the symptom, you find the problem.

• Discuss changes rather than make them. Beware of the editor who reads your writing, then takes out a pen and starts making changes. Those changes might be based on taste — primarily the editor’s. And even if the suggestions are great, you won’t learn unless you know the rationale behind them. Your editor should ask for your opinions, why you chose certain words or decided to include or omit information.

• Be forward looking. Editing is a process of making a document better, not pointing out why it’s bad. Make sure your editor helps you see advantages, not mistakes. For example, you don’t want an editor who’ll say:

The structure of your report is completely illogical; no one could possibly follow what you’re trying to say.

but one who will take this approach:

This piece needs a more logical structure. Try a tight chronological order to connect each event.

Your editor should remind you of the positive sides of your writing. Rather than saying:

This information sheet is snobby and boring. No one will read it.

your editor should say:

This information sheet contains a lot of important information. Great. Now make the tone more friendly.
• Be respectful. Most professional writers have met editors who laughed at their writing, suggested they find work flipping hamburgers at McDonald’s, or told them to rewrite from scratch a piece they’d worked on for months. Professional writer, CEO, or secretary — insults help no one. So if your editor jokes about your style, teases you about your spelling, or laughs at your letters, you have two choices: (1) politely ask your editor to stop making negative comments, or (2) refuse to show that person your work again.

• Maintain confidentiality. Like most people, you are probably sensitive about your writing ability. So make sure your editor will keep every aspect of your discussion confidential, from content to writing style. The exception is when managers or coaches review your work and then include their impressions in an evaluation. In this case, treat the write-up as yet another learning experience informing you of strong and problem areas.

TRY THIS! Find someone in your organization who is writing documents similar to yours but has different habits — good and bad. Then arrange a schedule for editing each other, perhaps once a week or, if you have considerable material, once a day. Learn from each other’s mistakes and note each other’s accomplishments. A good tip here: always start with praise so you don’t blush from criticism.