Editing Yourself

By Bernie Kohn
May 27, 2009 05:41 PM

Not all that long ago, reporters could count on layers of editors to catch their errors of fact or logic, smooth out imprecise language, suggest more reader-friendly approaches, and make sure key questions weren’t left hanging. Not to mention catching potential libel.

But now, the demands of posting on the Web often don’t leave time for that. Some news organizations discuss the advantages of reducing the number of “touches” on a story, even posting or publishing pieces that haven’t been edited at all.

So, with little or no backup behind you, it’s critical to read your own stories with the eyes of those people who used to clean up after you. In essence, from the moment you stop typing, you need to take a quick break to put on an editing hat.

A few questions to ask as you edit yourself:

- Does my story tell me, up high, why anyone should care?

- Would my mother/husband/significant other understand this story? Would they even want to read it?

- Does it get to the point before a time-harried person would stop reading?

- Am I using big words or flowery descriptions when simplicity might suffice?

- Am I allowing bias to creep in the form of adjectives and adverbs? If I say something or someone is “controversial,” do I make clear what I mean? Or am I the one saying it’s controversial?

- Does the lead make me want to read on? Is it backed up?

- Have I been overly tempted by a juicy quote that really is not fair?

- Do I understand what every sentence means by just reading it once?

- Am I sure of all the contextual language and factual background? Or did I try to do it all from memory? (It’s amazing how often reporters catch themselves doing the latter!)

- Am I writing around things I know I need to have in the story but don’t understand?

The best technique for catching almost all of these things – not to mention passive voice, clunky language and other lesser sins – is to read your story ALOUD to yourself. If it doesn’t sound right, it won’t read right. Reading aloud is more than worth the occasional stare from your colleagues – who ought to be doing it, too.

A few other tips:

- Even if you’re not responsible for writing the headline, come up with one. If you can’t, that should tell you something.

- Check your math. It’s inexcusable for business reporters to make errors in basic math, particularly percentages. But it happens all the time.

- Know your bad habits and be on the lookout for them. Maybe there’s a word you tend to default to when you can’t think of a more precise term. Maybe you assume readers have read every one of your stories on a particular subject. Maybe you use dashes and semicolons when periods would probably be better for the reader. (I once put one of my reporters on a two-comma-per-sentence rule. It led to lasting improvements in her raw copy.)

All of these things are perhaps more critical in business writing and reporting than general news, because of the complexity of the subject matter.

The best writers in the business – Floyd Norris of The New York Times and Allan Sloan of Fortune immediately come to mind – excel because their copy reads as if they’re talking to you. They use active, noun-verb sentences. They are brilliant men who don’t feel the need to show how brilliant they are. They know their material so well that they can use layman’s language for just about anything without dumbing down. Their wit is as dry as Chianti.

But mostly, they are humble. And that is at the heart of this exercise – having the humility to submit to the process of saving you from yourself.

Craving more guidance? Check out these books to help improve your writing and editing skills:

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer - Roy Peter Clark
On Writing Well - William K. Zinsser
Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together Across Media Platforms – Roy Peter Clark and Don Fry
Writing for Story – Jon Franklin
A Writer's Coach: The Complete Guide to Writing Strategies That Work – Jack Hart
Intimate Journalism: The Art and Craft of Reporting Everyday Life – Walt Harrington
Lapsing Into a Comma : A Curmudgeon's Guide to the Many Things That Can Go Wrong in Print--and How to Avoid Them – Bill Walsh
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation – Lynne Truss

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Copyright © 2009 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism