Re. Editing gently and constructively

[geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA]

 Glenda (Jeffreys) asked for tips on how to edit a new
 writer constructively.

 <Dons his edit-being hat> Glenda, the best approach is to
 turn this into a collaboration, not a confrontation. In
 each case where you detect a problem, explain the cause of
 the problem, provide an example of the solution, and let
 the writer either adopt your solution or understand the
 solution well enough to rephrase it in his or her own
 words. If there's lots to correct, discuss your corrections
 gently in person (rather than anonymously in writing), and
 keep it private... just between the two of you. Provide
 examples of what is acceptable (e.g., based on the style
 guide) and explain that unacceptable work won't get through
 the approval or quality assurance process... thus, your
 editing is helping the person to do their job more
 efficiently. Then turn the writer loose to try again.

 Many authors who I've worked with keep repeating the same
 mistakes again and again and... you get the point. If
 you're in the fortunate role of supervising the person, you
 can "make" them learn by setting quantifiable goals. For
 example, a good, quantifiable goal might be to reduce or
 eliminate passive voice. Simplistically, the goal could be
 expressed as "to have no more than three passive sentences
 per manuscript page by the end of the week, and zero by the
 end of the month". (Tweak the wording until it's clear,
 quantifiable, and addresses the problem, not the symptom.)
 You can take a similar strategy for each other problem.

 You wondered about the need to do substantive editing. In
 my opinion, you simply can't avoid this. Whether you do it
 or someone else does it, the job still has to get done. If
 you have lots and lots of substantive editing to do, why
 not hire a good editor so that you can concentrate on your
 main jobs, writing and supervising? I can point you towards
 a good source of editors! <conflict of interest alert>

 <doffs editor hat, dons writer hat> Speaking as a writer,
 constructive criticism has been a great boon for me, but
 being edited pushes certain emotional buttons. (After all,
 I'm an editor, so I'm supposed to write perfectly, right?
 FeFeFe) I've learned to get past the personal reaction and
 look for the truth in the edit, but it took time to learn
 this and it's not always easy to do even now; a new writer
 will likely resent your corrections and not understand that
 they reflect your intent to help. Again, the solution is to
 make this a mutually supportive situation, and to show how
 your edits make the author's life easier (e.g., by learning
 not to make a particular type of mistake, the author can
 produce drafts faster). You can also try aiming for the
 "produce a better product through synergy" attitude, but
 many people find this disingenuous or fake.

 --Geoff Hart    @8^{)}
 geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca

 Disclaimer: If I didn't commit it in print in one of our
 reports, it don't represent FERIC's opinion.