The Editing Toolkit: Working to Become a Grammar Guru and Editing Diva



In the world of PR, we ultimately gain credibility from the strength of our writing, messaging and research. And, distractions like a desk covered with to-do lists and a computer screen with 20 open tabs make it more chaotic – especially when it comes to the tedious but important job of proofreading and editing. 

No matter how brilliant a message might be, if it gets to the media riddled with errors, it is a PR professional’s worst nightmare – and something that happens more often than you think. When it comes to executing plans and doing so with an error-free flair, the editing and proofreading process is the saving grace. (It is also a somewhat twisted pleasure for those of us who celebrate National Grammar Day.)
 
The time I have spent in editing courses at California State University, Chico and doing various internships has taught me that credibility is the number one priority— from facts to spelling to sentence structure. Though I am just getting my feet wet in high-tech PR as an intern at Breakaway Communications, I have brought with me a mini tool kit of best practices for editing success.

Some of my favorite tips include: 

  • Take a step back:  It’s important to take a break before starting the editing process.
  • The overall picture: Read the whole document one time through first, paying attention to structure and quote placement.
  • Check yourself: Spell check the document and then it read again for errors spell check won’t catch (“bear” instead of “bare,” etc.).
  • Style matters: Scan the document for AP errors and double-check style rules.
  • Use your life lines: Resources like the Internet, dictionary, maps and calculator can ensure your work is accurate.
  • Edit from a new angle: For a longer article or press release, read it backward during a final read-through.
  • The more eyes, the better: The more people who edit a document before it is sent to a client or to the media the more likely you are to put your best foot forward.
  • Embrace it: Editing can be tedious and time consuming, but by adopting a can-do attitude, finding errors and perfecting work will make professional life more rewarding and successful.
  • Night owl, early bird: Ideally, it is best to write and edit during your prime time of day. Recognizing this writing process sweet spot can save you time and grief.

Although it is impossible to be the perfect editor and writer all the time, these pointers continue to give me a road map to rolling up my sleeves and buckling down to begin the editing process. I look forward to adding to this list in the months to come, however if you are still looking to add to your editing best practices, you should definitely check out these valuable sites: Writinghood and
Press-Release-Writing.

Happy editing!



Tags: Evolution of PR, Breakaway Team


Britte Marsh





Jamie Kim





Christine Amorose





Leave a Comment


Name:
Website:
Email:
Comment:
Verify Code:  


Blog Archives
Back to Main


Latest Tweets


Follow Friday! Clients and Friends @infoprint @itvt @Green_Touch @ArubaNetworks @ngconnect @MoreWireLess @johnmccrea @dpanyikdale

Typo corrected! - BP Averaged $5M in advertising per week during the oil crisis - did it pay off?

View our latest tweets...