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Andrew Plato wrote:
>
> Editing is a good way to learn about the topic and how to write. This is why
> editing positions are a great place for tech writers to begin their careers. I
> began my life as an editor. However, at some point I wanted to move on from
> editing other people's work to generating my own.
What Mr Plato is describing here is copyediting rather than
editing in the comprehensive sense. Copyediting is but
one piece of the mosaic---though not as small as I'd like
it to be when reviewing the work of writers who aren't
themselves good copyeditors!
The idea that "editing is a good way to learn ... how
to write" strikes me as very quaint. I suppose it is true
in the same way that "teaching a subject is the best
way to learn it" is true. If Mr Plato means that reviewing
a manuscript for conformance to standards is a good way
for a new writer to learn the house standards, I agree. But
that's not "editing" in any comprehensive sense of the word.
If what Mr Plato means is that an editor is a writer-in-training,
then his experience of editing must be rather rudimentary. There
are many good books about techical editing that could clear up
this confusion. One I particularly like is:
Guide to Technical Editing : Discussion, Dictionary, and Exercises
by Anne Eisenberg. (Oxford Univ Press) ISBN: 0195063066
--
Michael West
Melbourne, Australia
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