Vanya Wryter Consulting Services

Tag: copyediting

  • Why Editing Your Work Is Critical

    Why Editing Your Work Is Critical

    You may have heard the story about how a minor edit made the difference between a family dinner and the disappearance of grandma. If you haven’t, then I will explain in a minute why editing is important, whether you run a business or you’re looking for your next employer.

    Minor typos can financially impact your business or professional reputation.

    Just look at the difference between “Let’s eat, grandma” and “Let’s eat grandma.” Most people would rather enjoy a meal together with grandma than have her on the menu. And all it takes is one comma.

    Some typing or grammar mistakes are small, but other errors can have an immense impact.

    How big of an impact can it have? The cost can be as severe as $620 million to the deaths of several people. Something this disastrous is rare, but the point is that careful editing can make you look smart and professional. Let’s look at some specific examples.

    You can read the original full article here.

  • What Are the Four Stages of Editing?

    What Are the Four Stages of Editing?

    Thinking of hiring an editor?

    You wouldn’t make a major purchase without becoming a bit of an expert on the topic yourself, so you shouldn’t hire an editor without first learning some editing basics.

    Learning the lingo is essential to getting on the same page with the editor you want to work with, and to figure out what services you want and what rates to expect. If you write a lot, it’s useful to know these editing stages and apply them when checking your work! Here are the four main stages of editing.

    Structural Editing

    Structural editing: also called substantive editing, developmental editing, content editing, and manuscript editing.

    This editing stage is like deciding where you’re going to place every box and piece of furniture on move-in day. It’s big-decision time.

    Your editor will step back with you and look at your project from a big picture perspective. Recommendations are given and decisions are made about how to organize and revise your ideas. It’s like deciding which rooms you’ll be placing your belongings in. You may need to throw out some things that no longer suit your new home and make a list of things you still need to buy.

    The editor will make a list of changes for the writer. These structural edits may include:

    • revising, reordering, cutting, or expanding material
    • recasting or revising material for another project or medium (such as taking parts of a book to use for a video or web copy)
    • expanding or writing original material
    • clarifying the plot, characters, or thematic elements (for a novel or short story)
    • deciding if permissions are necessary when using facts, data, or quotes from third-party material
    • creating an outline if one hasn’t already been made
    • ensuring that content, language, and style suit the audience and purpose of the material

    When this stage of editing is completed, your project is ready for a stylistic edit.

    Photo Credit: Rodnae Productions

    Stylistic Editing

    Stylistic editing: also called line editing and may include copy editing.

    Stylistic editing is similar to making a sandwich. Most people have a concept of what goes into a basic sandwich but have different opinions about the details. Should the sandwich have many toppings or just a few? What condiments will give it a spicy or salty flavour?

    Making a sandwich is like a stylistic edit. Different toppings can affect the flavour (mood and tone) of what you create. The editor clarifies meaning, checks for coherence and flow, and fine-tunes the language. This stage includes:

    • editing and adjusting the order and length of paragraphs and sentences
    • establishing the style, tone, mood, voice, and level of formality of the material
    • maintaining the language level appropriate for the intended readership, purpose, and medium (blog, novel, white paper, or report)
    • checking for cliches, euphemisms, and jargon (jargon in technical material should be defined somewhere in the text)

    After a stylistic edit is complete, your project is ready for a copy edit.

    Photo Credit: The Matter of Food

    Copy Editing

    Copy editing: also loosely includes stylistic editing, structural editing, fact-checking, and proofreading.

    A copy editor focuses on details: accuracy, consistency, completeness, and correctness.

    In this sense, copyediting is similar to scrutinizing a painting with meticulous precision. It’s like noticing the brushstrokes, the colours, and the layers. You’re looking at details in a person’s face or the veins in each leaf of trees!

    Copyediting is about precision and cohesion and includes:

    • developing a style sheet or following one that is provided
    • editing for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and word usage
    • checking for consistency and continuity of mechanics and facts (a character’s age and eye colour are consistent throughout the story, the same font and style is used for all tables and charts)
    • editing tables, figures, and lists (and sometimes indexes)
    • correcting or querying information that should be checked for accuracy
    • checking front matter, back matter, cover copy, and web links
    • obtaining or listing permissions needed
    • checking for consistency for localizing language (Canadian spelling for a Canadian audience, converting to Imperial measurements for an American audience)

    Copyediting doesn’t involve any heavy rewriting or heavy reorganizing of material. You are taking your work and putting it under the microscope. At this stage, it’s about the details. When the copyediting is complete, your project is ready for layout and proofreading.

    Photo Credit: Una Laurencic

    Proofreading

    Proofreading is done after editing. At this stage, you’re checking that the material is ready for publishing. Often “proofreading” is a term used to describe any editing or is another name for copyediting.

    Think of proofreading as that quick check in the mirror that you do before you go out: Hair looks good. Nothing in your teeth. Shoes match the outfit. Phone, check. Keys, check. Wallet, check. You’re good to go.

    At this point, you’re not going to redo your makeup, change your shirt, or (gasp) change into a whole new outfit.

    At this stage, the editor checks the material – after layout is completed – for errors in textual and visual elements. The material may be checked against the original or previous version. When editing for online copy, proofreading is the final stage before you hit the publish button. This stage includes:

    • checking all elements of the document are in proper order
    • changes have been made and amendments have been inserted
    • checking for minor mechanical errors (such as spelling and punctuation mistakes)
    • consistency and accuracy of elements in the material (such as cross-references, headings, captions, and hyperlinks)
    • adherence to design (consistency in font style and colour)

    Proofreading doesn’t involve any heavy editing or rewriting. It’s the final check before you head out the door – before you hit the publish button or send the material off of the publisher for printing.

    Proofreading is also the most exciting stage! After all your hard work (both the writer’s and the editor’s), your project is ready to share with your readers.

    Photo Credit: Andrea Piacquadio

    Bottom Line

    Understanding the four major stages of editing is crucial when you’re ready to work with an editor. Becoming familiar with the jargon and what happens at each stage prepares you for what revisions to expect. These stages are also a great checklist for reviewing your written work before sharing it with your audience.

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  • Why Editing Is Important

    Why Editing Is Important

     

    Updated for 2022

    You may have heard the story about how a minor edit made the difference between a family dinner and the disappearance of grandma. If you haven’t, then I will explain in a minute why editing is important, whether you run a business or you’re looking for your next employer.

    Minor typos can financially impact your business or professional reputation.

    Just look at the difference between “Let’s eat, grandma” and “Let’s eat grandma.” Most people would rather enjoy a meal together with grandma than have her on the menu. And all it takes is one comma.

    Some typing or grammar mistakes are small, but other errors can have an immense impact.

    How big of an impact can it have? The cost can be as severe as $620 million to the deaths of several people. Something this disastrous is rare, but the point is that careful editing can make you look smart and professional. Let’s look at some specific examples.

    Never Underestimate the Power of Minor Errors

    If you have a hole in your sock, it’s a small detail that makes you look careless. If you have a hole in your boat and you’re at sea, you’re taking a risk. It’s the same with minor errors in your writing, whether online or in print: your web page copy, emails, proposals, or reports make a statement about you.

    At the very least, spelling and grammar errors can sabotage your first impression with your clients. Common errors include incorrect use of your and you’re, and their versus they’re. These typos create the impression that you write carelessly… making potential clients wonder if you handle your business in the same way.

    At most, these tiny typos can also have an immeasurable financial cost. It’s a strong case for why editing is important.

    For example, Mizuho Securities Co meant to sell single shares for 610,000 apiece, but a typo resulted in selling 610,000 shares for 1 yen apiece. The company lost nearly $340 million in less than a day.

    Companies that work with a lot of numbers need to take extra precautions to check that their numbers are correct. A small typo can cause a huge financial loss.

    In other cases, the effect can cause confusion or frustration, such as the reference “See Figure 8 on page 123 for the supporting data,” but there is no Figure 8 on page 123. It’s actually on page 133. Not everyone is enthusiastic about hunting around for information.

    But that’s not all that can happen when there is a minor error. 

    A Letter Can Change Your Reputation

    Spelling mistakes can range from disastrous to confusing. Some of the most common misspelled words, recieved (received) and seperate (separate), are also very commonly used words. Editing is essential when it comes to advertising or guarantees.

    For example, during the production process for an ad, a typographical mistake resulted in substituting the “x” for an “r,” so that “exotic travel” became “erotic.” Because of the misprint, the travel agency suffered irreversible damage to its professional reputation and lost nearly 80 percent of its customers.

    Also, assuring your customer that you will do everything to complete the project on schedule is slightly different than ensuring that you will do everything according to schedule. In the latter case, it’s best to have a lawyer on hand in case you are late.

    So if spelling isn’t your strong point, or you weren’t an ace at spelling bees, the internet is here to help. You can make use of some great spelling resources here and here.

    It Does Not Take Much to Cause Disaster

    The previous examples show that chaos can ensue over a minor omission or typo. You might even be able to relate to these stories. It’s even happened to me before, even though I consider myself extremely careful.

    I was rushing through a reply in a conversation and realized to my horror, that I missed the word “not” in the sentence. What a big difference!

    The following example is an extreme case that drives home the point of why editing is important. The result of cases like these can be financially catastrophic or can even cost lives.

    For instance, the omission of a single hyphen resulted in the detonation of the Mariner probe spacecraft and a total loss of $620 million from the accident.

    Similarly, a minor clerical error in which a “C” became an “O” meant a rescue crew was dispatched to the wrong location, postponing rescue, and costing the lives of six fishermen.

    Your typos may not be as costly as these examples. But minor spelling and grammar errors do come with a price!

    Bad Editing and the Cost to Business

    If you’re still in doubt about the importance of editing, consider what could happen to your business if you lose the trust of your customers. Or what could happen if your business couldn’t be found. 

    The correct use of spelling and grammar is one of the primary variables a search engine analyzes when categorizing and prioritizing websites. Spelling errors for keywords can affect search engine optimization, preventing potential customers from locating specific products and services.

    One example is an e-commerce website that misspelled their product as “tihgts” instead of “tights.” The mistake resulted in a decline in sales until the error was fixed. Fixing the spelling resulted in an 80% conversion rate. In this case, details do matter.

    Great Resources to Improve Your Editing

    “A brand that disregards the details by underestimating the importance of proofreading could be a keystroke away from disaster.”—Six Degrees.com 

    Fixing typos can be low on your list of priorities if a deadline is looming or you are overwhelmed with several important tasks. There is any given number of valid reasons. So what can you do to cut down or eliminate spelling and grammar disasters?

    One solution to prevent typos is the use of technology. Word processing programs with built-in spelling and grammar editing features can help to reduce the frequency of some of these types of errors.

    It is even possible to create commands to check for specific typos, particularly if you have a habit of misspelling “definitely” wrong …. or forgetting if “between you and me” or “between you and I” is correct grammar. Or you can check if you’re making these common grammar mistakes.

    You can look to some great online resources such as Grammar Girl or Owl Purdue to help you out. To use an analogy, it doesn’t matter if you spent hours digging through your closet for the perfect outfit or hours fixing your makeup. If your appearance catches looks of approval, that’s what counts: the final result.

    However, nothing replaces having a copyeditor or proofreader to do a final check for typos and number errors. Some stubborn mistakes are acceptable to a grammar editing program, but not a fresh pair of eyes. An editor will check every detail for accuracy and consistency. 

    Final lesson: check, check, and double check. A thorough edit is worth your time!

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