About editing

The editing I do is part of technical writing.

What is technical writing?

Technical writing is text that conveys information and ideas.

Technical writing is not "creative writing" (as in novels, poetry, etc), although good technical writing often requires the author and editor to be creative.

Good technical writing uses plain English — English that is clear, concise, well structured, and appropriate to the reader.

Plain English lets the reader focus on the content, undisturbed by irregularities such as spelling and grammatical errors, repetition, and cumbersome constructions.

Usually, brevity brings clarity. It makes reading easier. The fewer words the reader has to absorb and interpret, the easier it is to grasp the content.

Why hire an editor?

Writing well is difficult. Hiring me as your editor means two people work on your text, rather than one — an expert in the content and an expert in how to convey that content to best effect. Together we create text that is well crafted and says what you want it to say.

Often, my most valuable contribution is the second opinion, or "fresh eyes", that I bring to the task.

If you're writing a long document, it's good practice to hire me at an early stage. I can advise on structure and style, which are best settled before the detailed writing begins.

What to expect

You bring your author's enthusiasm to your writing. I bring a reader's perspective and add value by editing your draft.

Therefore, expect me to make or suggest changes. That's my job.

But I don't make changes for changes' sake. When I've edited your draft, we should, together, discuss the changes, to correct any misinterpretations and so that you understand the reasons for the changes. It will also help improve your own future writing.

Of course, as author, you have the final say. While I may argue strongly in favour of the changes I suggest, ultimately you decide whether to accept or reject them.

See Example 1, Example 2, Example 3, Example 4.

Clear instructions

Having someone else edit your writing can be a salutary experience. Inexperienced authors, particularly, often fear criticism.

To avoid disappointment, I must know what you want done. If time is short and you don't want me to adjust the structure of your text, you should ask for just copy editing. On the other hand, if you think it would be helpful, more substantial editing may be appropriate.

Style, knowledge, and jargon

Before starting to edit, I must know who will read your text — university academics, business management or staff, customers, readers of an industry magazine, the general public, etc.

This enables me to select a suitable style of writing and to judge how much reader knowledge to assume.

Despite the need for brevity, writing may be improved by including short clarifying statements, even though you may think they would be commonly understood by the target audience. They reassure the reader and aid comprehension.

Jargon and particular turns of phrase, while commonly used in speech by your target audience, often appear clumsy in print and are better replaced with simpler language.