Editing

This week’s assignment was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed working with my friend and his essay in order to help him edit it.  The best part was reading the chapter and understanding how to effectively work with a writer.  I think it was very good for me because before the chapter I thought of editing as marking up a piece of paper with a red pen detailing what needed to be corrected.  After reading the chapter, I was able to understand that you are working with a writer and not a work. 

            We worked really hard on making sure that we were constantly communicating in order to make sure that his ideas were being heard and that my editing wasn’t eliminating the main message.  We did this by talking through edits and using different resources, such as the A.P. Stylebook and already written essays.  This helped justify our thoughts and also end any confusions we had.

            I think that making sure he understood that I was seeing what was good in the essay really helped him have more confidence in me.  I made sure to point out every good thing that I saw and praise him for them.  I also made sure to praise him for anything he corrected on his own during the edit.  It was great to learn from this chapter so that I can become a better editor.

            This week’s grammar error made me laugh.  It tells us not to litter, but if we do, it’s not that bad.  I thought it was great because one letter can change the entire meaning of something.