I'm sorry, but I don't know if I have anything to say about editing this week. I'm trying to think how having a crappy week has anything to do with editing. I don't think it does. Maybe instead I'll talk about how disappointed I was with my own editing this week. Well not this week, but an assignment I got back this week.
Yesterday I got my PR communications strategy back. My good ideas where lost on the fact that my editing skills were crap. I'm not sugar coating it, I lost big marks because of it. How upsetting. How stupid. As I reread the document and the comments all I could think about was, "What the hell was I reading when I edited this?" It's hard to believe I actually spent time editing this document, because my editing sucked so bad. To be fair to myself, because I'm starting to sound like a Debbie Downer, all the attention I paid to proper names paid off - that's a bonus.
I find it amazing that you can spend an enormous amount of time editing something and there are still errors. It's funny how the eye plays tricks on you when you're brain knows what you wanted to say. The moral of this sob story, give yourself time and give yourself a break when editing so that you can catch all the little tricks your brain is playing on you.
That's great advice - no-one can write for hours and then edit their own work perfectly. A break to clear the head can do wonders!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to find time to allow others to edit your work when it takes ages for you yourself to both complete it to task AND self-edit.
ReplyDeleteI have found that even letting my mother or friends have a look helps (even at the 11th hour); while they wouldn't always care or be knowledgable about the content it's better to have anyone else see the 'double the the' than to let Melanie find it!
That's great advice Tiff. I used to get my mom to edit my university papers and I should really start getting her to do that again. The trick is to get it done before she goes to bed. LOL
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