4.7: Editing

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This chapter is brought to you by Sybil Priebe and edited pieces of this Wikibook⁶¹.

What is Editing?

Editing is sometimes confused with Revising, or with Proofreading. After you feel you’ve revised the draft as much as is needed, editing comes into play. Editing involves a number of small changes in a draft that can make a big difference in the draft’s readability and coherence. Editing can happen at several points in the drafting process--not just at the end to “fix” things that are wrong.

So, what kinds of things happen when editing? Here are a few:

word changes
minor sentence rearrangement
added transitions
changes for clarity
minor deletions

What Should I Edit For?

The main areas that should be addressed in editing are: Content and Structure. When editing the content of your writing, it is important to make sure your work has a clear focus or main idea. By asking yourself a few questions, you can avoid incomplete thoughts and/or irrelevant material. The following is a checklist you can use in editing your content:

I have discovered what is important about my topic.
I have expressed the main idea clearly.
I have removed material that is unnecessary, confusing, or irrelevant.

Editing for structure ensures that your ideas are presented in a logical order. A single idea should be represented in each paragraph. Transitions serve to make the relationships between ideas clear. The following checklist is helpful in editing structure:

My ideas are logically connected to one another.
Each paragraph deals with only one major idea.
I have included appropriate transitional words or phrases.

Where Does Proofreading Come into Play?

Proofreading is the process of carefully reviewing a text for errors, especially surface errors such as spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting, and typing errors. So, refining the mechanics in the proofreading phase prevents the reader from being distracted from your ideas. Here’s a checklist can also help you catch these errors in your writing:

I have used punctuation marks and capitalization correctly.
I have checked the spelling of unfamiliar words.
All subjects and verbs agree.
I have corrected run-ons and sentence fragments.
I have used words with the correct meanings in their proper context.

Editing, Proofreading, and the Writing Process

A major question that students will probably find themselves asking is this: How do I know when to edit a paper? How do I know it’s time to proofread? As a matter of fact, there is no simple answer to those questions. Writing is a process that involves several steps, and these steps do not always occur in a straight line. Writing any sort of text is a circular rather than a linear process. Writers are rarely completely finished with one step, even after they move onto the next.

Most people tend to think that editing tends to happen sometime near the completion of the paper. In fact, that is not always the case. While the most important part of writing is simply the ability to express yourself and get ideas across, it can sometimes be helpful to take a quick break from drafting or revising and to spend some time editing (or even proofread a bit). Sometimes, playing with word choice, sentence structure, or transitions can help stimulate your mind, leading to new ideas. Thus, it’s important to realize that editing is not necessarily a one-step action, but rather something that can be done throughout the entire writing process.

STUDENT EXAMPLE: PROOFREADING AND EDITING

Title of Assignment: Dear Me at age 15

Details: Write a letter to your younger self; you get to choose the age, but I would suggest anywhere from 10-15. What do you want to tell your younger self? What advice do you have right now? You can be serious or funny; it’s your letter to YOU.

DEAR ME AT 15 – FIRST DRAFT

Dear Julia,

How are you? Are you shocked that I am writing to you from the future? Me too. Here are some things I wanted to tell you:

When it comes to the family, Mom and Dad are about to get a divorce. But it is not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. They are unhappy, and I think you can feel that in the apartment when they are around together. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable, and I don’t think they do either.

All your friends will see changes too in their lives. Being a teenager sucks, and you should just realize that right away. Braces suck your teeth will look great later on tho.

DEAR ME AT 15 – SECOND DRAFT

Dear Julia,

How are you? Are you shocked that I am writing to you from the future? Me too. Here are some things I wanted to tell you: Mom & Dad are about to divorce. This crushes you because you think it is your fault. It isn’t. You should focus your energy on your little sister, Hayley. She starts to rebel because of the divorce.

DEAR ME AT 15 – PEER REVIEW [STUDENT REVIEWER’S NOTES IN BRACKETS]

Dear Julia,

How are you? Are you shocked that I am writing to you from the future? Me too. Here are some things I wanted to tell you: Mom & Dad are about to divorce. This crushes you because you think it is your fault. It isn’t. [Maybe you should say more about why it’s not your fault?] You should focus your energy on your little sister, Hayley. She starts to rebel because of the divorce. [How does she rebel? What specifics should your younger self do?]

All your friends will see changes too in their lives. Tanya’s parents’ divorce and you are both sad together. You two need to support each other and talk about what’s going on. When I was first in your shoes, I ignored a lot of people, but maybe you’ll listen to this letter and do better than me. [Give more details here, too. How can your younger self do better this time?]

DEAR ME AT 15 – THIRD DRAFT, POST-PEER REVIEW

Dear Julia,

How are you? Are you shocked that I am writing to you from the future? Me too. Here are some things I wanted to tell you:

Mom & Dad are about to divorce. This crushes you because you think it is your fault. It isn’t. They chose to be with each other, and it didn’t work. They wanted to have you, but they couldn’t make it work as a couple. These things are not related. Please know that!

You should focus your energy on your little sister, Hayley. She starts to rebel because of the divorce. In school, try to say hi to her in the hallways more. Try to talk to her every day to show your support because the rebelling starts with her getting into trouble with her teachers first and goes from there.

All your friends will see changes too in their lives. Tanya’s parents’ divorce and you are both sad together. You two need to support each other and talk about what’s going on. When I was first in your shoes, I ignored a lot of people, but maybe you’ll listen to this letter and do better than me. At one point, she invites you over for a Friday night sleepover. You don’t want to go, but you should. She needs to talk to you that night, so go and listen

DEAR ME AT 15 – PROOFREADING

Dear Julia,

How are you? Are you shocked that I am writing to you from the future? Me, too. Here are some things I wanted to tell you:

Mom & Dad are about going to divorce. This crushes you because you think it is your fault. It isn’t. They chose to be with each other, and it didn’t work. They wanted to have you, but they couldn’t make it work as a couple. These things are not related. Please know that!

You should focus your energy on your little sister, Hayley. She starts to rebel because of the divorce. In school, try to say “Hi” to her in the hallways more. Try to talk to her every day to show your support because the rebelling starts with her getting into trouble with her teachers first and goes from there.

All your friends will see changes, too, in their lives. Tanya’s parents’ divorce, and you are both sad together. You two need to support each other and talk about what’s going on. When I was first in your shoes, I ignored a lot of people, but maybe you’ll listen to this letter and do better than me. At one point, she invites you over for a Friday night sleepover. You don’t want to go, but you should. She needs to talk to you that night, so go and listen.

Assigments or Questions to Consider

(Insert ideas from students or teacher here.)

61 “Basic Writing/Print version.” Wikibooks, The Free Textbook Project. 9 Sep 2008, 16:02 UTC. 11 May 2016, 17:39 . Licensed CC-BY-SA.