A writer is a professional who writes, after researching, collating, compiling, organizing, proof-editing, and self-reviewing, within the precincts of defined standards and requirements, almost always on a stringent deadline. A technical writer’s job is tough because concise yet easily comprehensible material has to be created from technical and scattered information, usually available with a number of subject matter experts. The amount of work that a writer has to put in on an assignment is phenomenal and most writers have to collaborate and co-ordinate a lot while putting together an output in the prescribed format and editorial standard.
By the time a writer’s work is done and a presentable output ready, the writer is not only exhausted but usually has another assignment already in back-log. And then steps in the technical editor! The reviews start and swiftly translate into rework and revisions. Editorial comments may vary from simple proof-edits to complex reorganization of the content from usability perspective. Whatever be the extent of the comments, the writer is required to make the edits and here comes the tipping point, where either an appreciative writer may be glad for the edits that improve the document or a flustered and probably overworked writer may take the editorial comments as a personal affront.
I have seen both sides of the world and met both kinds of writers. My work has been through stringent reviews and I have had to burn the midnight oil to make the fixes. It was an exhausting but an enlightening experience and I was grateful for the editors who helped make my work better and facilitated the honing of my skills. With time, I became a reviewer, which helped me appreciate the importance of adhering to editorial standards at the writing stage. Finally, came my role as editor and I have faced both brick-bats and applause from fellow writers. And to both, I prescribe that the best way to get it right most of the times is to develop the editor’s perception and keen eye. Think the way your editor thinks and in self-reviews challenge yourself with a critical eye.
So, how does an editor think? The editor reads and uses your document and so thinks like a reader and user. Some key items that an editor looks at are:
- Coherence—Text is sequentially organized with each paragraph, each section connected logically and whether headings, lists, charts, and images complement the content.
- Clarity—Complex, technical jargon is simplified into comprehensible text or illustrations, without changing the meaning of the original.
- Consistency—Styles, word usage, fonts, visuals, tone, and colors reflect consistency and are preferably defined by a style guide.
- Usability—Text is enabling the user to perform the action.
- Brevity—Text is to-the-point and providing the shortest and best way to perform each action.
- Accuracy—Text is enabling the user to perform the correct action and get the desired result.
- Credibility—Text is reflecting professionalism and is error-free to establish credibility with the audience.
An editor’s eagle-eye is another important facet in capturing errors that slip past proof-reading, self and peer reviews. This critical eye is dependent on the prescribed standards and guidelines that are already available to all on a writing and editing project. Writers, who have been working with the same style guides and editorial standards, or those with a penchant for attention-to-detail, may have fewer copy editing, grammar, style and language based edits. Practice makes the writer better with each assignment; however, edits are still required. This is because of the variety of inputs and the number of activities that the writer has to perform to get a document into a presentable shape.
From translating complex information into user-friendly text within prescribed grammatical rules and company standards to using images, illustrations, tables, and using an authoring tool or word processor for indexing, cross-referencing, hyperlinking, the writer’s grey cells are working overtime. Even the most enthusiastic stickler to the company style guide, will need editing to get the crispiest, active voice instruction, in the present tense. It is no fault or folly on the part of the writer when grammatical issues or style errors creep into a document. However, each writer must strive to master the prescribed standards and style guides, because that is what the editor has done. If it is any consolation to a writer frazzled by editorial comments, it is noted by many that not all editors are good writers (and not all good writers make great editors). The two skillsets are different yet complementary. You can keep your eye on one thing at a time and not achieve what requires the skills of two. The uncut diamond of the written word needs the combined art and skill of both to emerge as a polished jewel.
To sum it up, according to Carolyn Rude and Angela Eaton, co-authors of Technical Editing, “a technical editor is an expert on communication, language, and the needs of the audience. A good editor has the ability to evaluate the big picture as well as the fine details and can play a key role on documentation projects.” I urge writers to see editors as their best friends because they have the potential to bring out the best in you and help you deliver documents that reflect the high standards of user-focus that drives the sales pitch in all organizations.
Both writers and editors are vital in the creation of any written material, making documents usable, comprehensible and concise, one word at a time. Many writers evolve to become editors as their career progresses, and the best editors are those who have worked under the aegis of a stringent editor during their writing career. In correcting the errors that are returned to you as editorial comments, you are learning to see things as the editor does and are moving towards a stage where you can catch most editorial issues during self-reviews.
In the next article of this series, we will talk about some of the tools and techniques that you can use as a writer to create editorially superior documentation.
About the Author: Aneesha Myles Shewani is a technical editor, working primarily on application user manuals and end-user training material. She is currently employed with Fiserv and has expertise in establishing style guides and editorial standards for print, online and mobile media. She spends her leisure time in reading and writing about a variety of topics, ranging from historical fiction to science fiction. Aneesha also writes fiction and some of her work can be read on her blog: www.felinemusings.com. You can reach Aneesha here .
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