WHAT IS COPY EDITING?
​
Editing is simply the process of taking an existing text and making it better. It is part art, part science, with a big chunk of perspiration thrown on top.
​
The goals of editing are often referred to as the 5 Cs — to craft a final text that is:
​
Clear Concise Consistent
Correct & Comprehensible
​
But there's a lot more to it than that.
* COMPLETE REWRITE - Writing, like any other skill, needs constant practice. You wouldn't call yourself a footballer because you used to have a kick-about when you were at school.
Writing is the same. The common advice — to write like you speak — is often misunderstood; try recording a conversation and then writing it down.
It's not pretty.
In speaking, our ideas come out spontaneously with little thought to structure or word use. That's okay in speech, but not on the page.
A complete rewrite involves taking the key information and making it read well, using the most logical structure and the strongest words to accurately convey what it is you want to say.
​* GENERAL EDIT - A general edit is where the text is fairly easy
to read, with no terrible disasters, but where something is obviously
lacking.
It is taking the core ideas and fine-tuning them. From word choice to create a stronger impact, to paragraphing and organising for logical flow, to ensuring appropriateness for the target audience, this is the carpenter sanding down the rough edges of his creation.
* LINE EDIT - The final stage of editing before proofreading.This is about getting into the weeds to ensure that each sentence is as finely crafted as it can be, and for the sentences and paragraphs to flow into each other.
This is our carpenter using the finest sandpaper before the polish is applied. I watch out for word choice and repetition, confusing sentences, verifying facts, such as dates, name spellings etc. There's also grammar, spelling and punctuation issues, and adhering to a style guide if there is one.
I am equally at home editing in Adobe pdf and Microsoft Word software, or directly onto your website.
