Re: Peer Reviews

["Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- STARBASECORP -dot- COM>]

Dick Dimock writes <paraphrase ahead...> that editors are scarce
and that they've been trying to peer review each other's manuals
but not much has been accomplished because...

>         1) Time binds us all, and most writers share the same
>            deadlines.

>         2) The writer of the book usually knows the topic better
>            than the writer next door.

> CALL FOR OPINIONS (damn sure this bunch will have opinions):

>         Have any of you experienced successful peer review
>         operations? Unsuccessful?

>         Are we hopelessly Out To Lunch on this approach?


As a sole writer, team leader of writers only, and other roles
that have left me editorless over the years, I sympathize with
you, Dick. But peer editing can be an effective way of increasing
quality *and* of creating a homogeneous doc set.

To establish a successful peer-editing writers unit...

First and foremost, drop the "review" and call it an edit.
Somehow the word "review" doesn't seem quite as participatory
as a plain ol' edit does.

Second, beg, borrow, steal, or otherwise develop a style guide that
all the writers in the group buy in to. The style guide can stop
a lot of arguments before they begin (or hash out a lot of arguments
before they become critical).

Third, *schedule* time for a peer edit just as if you were really
sending the book to the editor. I've found it best if *all* writers
(especially in a small group) get to see a book at least once. Don't
wait until the book is finished -- pass it around in small chunks so
it's easier to schedule.

Result (hopefully)-- each book gets its fair share of editing and
quality improves.

Additional benefit -- each writer gets to know every other writers
style and every other writer's pet peeves. The writer who goes
bonkers over a disassociated "this" at the beginning of a sentence
and the writer who's anal about parallel list construction and
the writer who crosses out every "want", "wish", and "will" in
a document will soon learn to write around recurring problems.
The department will become a closer knit group and the writing
style will become more consistent from book to book.

Good luck!

Sue Gallagher
sgallagher -at- starbasecorp -dot- com