TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: Learning to edit yourself From:Jane Bergen <janeber -at- CYBERRAMP -dot- NET> Date:Tue, 13 Oct 1998 19:38:47 -0500
Many of us have no choice...we HAVE to edit our own work, especially
if we're the only writer and the other developers and QAs hate to
review (I have been through this!). I've found the best thing is to
put it aside for awhile (a couple weeks if possible, but not too long
(months) or you'll get too far from it), then when you do go back it
will be much more objective and you'll see things you never noticed
before. This, obviously, works better when you're further along in the
doc cycle, too. I often leave my final edit (the sanity check) alone
for a while. It helps tremendously.
> -----Original Message-----
> I agree with Geoff's comments (snip below) concerning
> editing your own work.
> Of course, sometimes you have no alternative but to edit yourself.
>
> If you'd like some printed books to help you polish your
> editing skills, I'd
> suggest looking at some of the titles published by EEI
> Communications, in
> Virginia. They offer a range of books and practice guides, including
> "Substance & Style: Instruction and Practice in
> Copyediting." You can check
> out their offerings at their web site (www.eeicom.com), I
> think. They also
> offer an excellent newsletter, "The Editorial Eye," that
> addresses editing
> issues.
>
