Week 15

Well, I can hardly believe that the semester is over.

I have learned so much about myself this semester, and about writing. I'm grateful for all the tips you have shared through the blog and hope that you've all found value in the art of editing.

The paper that I edited this week was for my husband, which, I think, made it all the more delicate and close to home. When you're working with someone who is close to you, it's important not to make the editing process personal in any way. I found that as Trevin and I focused on the writing, stripping it down to the organization, voice, and flow of information, we were successful. If I ever made a general statement about something that he was doing wrong rather than pointing out a specific example, explaining how it could be improved and then explaining why my suggestion could be valuable in strengthening the writing, it wasn't nearly as productive.

I also loved the tip in the reading about emphasizing the positive rather than nitpicking the negative. Of course there will be things that need to be fixed, but that doesn't mean there isn't also much good to point out. That ended up being one of the most valuable parts of my editing session with Trevin. As I gave him encouragement and compliments about the strength of aspects of his writing, he felt much better about fixing it up and making it flawless.

My example of an editing mistake this week came from an article online about medicine. The article read,

"In 2007, the most recent available, Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on alternative care." 

I found the first clause very difficult to follow. It should have read, "In a survey from 2007, the most recent available..." essentially, "the most recent available" needs to be referring to an object in order to make sense.

I hope that you all have a wonderful finals week! Best of luck and Merry Christmas!