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: I swear that some people are just looking for an ego boost when
: they ask you to edit something they wrote.
When asked to "edit" something, I ask whether the full treatment is wanted.
That means picking all the nits I can find, in addition to fixing problems,
compressing text, ensuring consistency, etc.
Before I started asking for informed consent, I sometimes surprised (not
pleasantly) people looking for certification rather than improvement.
I've collaborated on several books with another writer/editor; we've
evolved a mutual style of writing/editing which *we* find pleasing but
which others have found brutal, before they understood what we were trying
to do. The key is matching delivery to expectations before you start.
--
Gabriel Goldberg, Computers and Publishing, Inc.
13382 Brookfield Court, Chantilly, VA 22021-2618
Voice: (703) 968-5738 FAX: (703) 502-0673 Internet: gabe -at- access -dot- digex -dot- net
