Making the World More Understandable

Tag Archives: clear communication

Your Editor Works for You, Please Listen to Them!

I was going over something for a client recently that put me in Annoyed Editor Mode.

The first paragraph did several subject jumps that I found more than a touch confusing. I pointed out the problem, “how did we go from subject A, to subject B, to subject C?” and I made a general suggestion as to how to fix the problem.

I proceeded through the document with only the occasional edit (this client is a good writer), and then I hit the end. The absolute end where the client made a comment that came from absolute nowhere. I again mentioned my confusion with questions that, when answered, would give context to the comment.

How my client replied is what put me in Annoyed Editor Mode. To the first paragraph, nothing happened. The client commented that they added a tie-in at the end. Tell me, how does that help my confusion at the beginning?

For the end, again no change and just a comment. “I was tying the title back in – here at the end.”

OK, fair enough. I admit that by the time I had gotten to the end, I had completely forgotten the title of the article – so the statement wasn’t out of NOWHERE. The problem is that the comment still had no context.

I sent the article back – with additional comments – and the body of the email said that I was still concerned about what had concerned me at the beginning. My client replied with, I like what I’ve got, go with it. OK, fine. I cannot make you take my suggestions and, since my name’s not on the thing, I went on to the next step.

It turns out, my client had not realized I’d attached a new version of the document with comments that I hoped clarified my concerns. And yet, part of what an editor does is check for consistency. If your editor is asking questions or expressing concern, there is probably something off with what they are reading.

You hired an editor, why would you ignore them?

Why Editing Matters

I have already written on this – as a blog, in my book – and I talk about it REGULARLY. It is sort of a thing with me. Rather than say it all again here (and risk upsetting you and Google), I’ll sum up.

My standard rant on editing has two main points:

  1. Given time, writers stop seeing what they wrote and start seeing what they intend – at that point, the two rarely match.
  2. Just because it is obvious to you does not mean it is obvious to everyone.

(These two issues impact editors too. Obviously, my initial comments to my client were not as clear as I thought they were. If they were, I wouldn’t have found myself in Annoyed Editor Mode.)

The additional fact that the brain does not understand or retain as well when reading off a screen than off paper makes editing even more important. People are going to mis-read and mis-understand no matter what. If you are trying to sway a person to your product or service with blogs or email newsletters, your writing needs to be clearer and simpler. (And more frequent, but that’s a different topic.)

Finally, there is the need to provide instant gratification. Let me rephrase that, in a culture that continues to demand instant gratification, you are not going to get far if your writing is confusing. People want answers to their questions NOW. If they do not understand what you are saying they are not going to come back to you. Editors make sure your writing is understandable.

So, yes, editing does matter. If you’ve gone to the effort of hiring an editor, be kind and pay attention to what they are telling you.

– Lorrie Nicoles

Provocative Words

Provocative Words

Welcome to my “Ode to the Thesaurus.” One of my favorite Facebook pages is The Writer’s Circle. I always seem to glom onto their lists of Other Words For <fill in the blank>. I’ve several of them clipped into my Blog Ideas notebook in Evernote. One I’ve been looking at a lot lately is for… Continue Reading

1 Step Clear Communication

1 Step Clear Communication

As a ghost blogger, I frequently write about the 7 this and 5 that. Everyone, even people who don’t like numbers, seems to love numbers in blog headlines. The number tells the reader how much they will learn in that post. Well, I am not part of the “everyone.” Mostly because, as a ghost blogger,… Continue Reading

Words That Don’t Work: Nonplus

Words That Don’t Work: Nonplus

I believe that a person with a basic understanding of the language ought to be able to understand content published for the general population – even if they encounter a word they haven’t seen before. Obviously, text books, scientific articles, philosophical debates, and the such are likely to contain words that will send the reader… Continue Reading

The Hazards of PowerPoint

The Hazards of PowerPoint

This blog originally started as a guest blog for my friend Elizabeth Bachman; lately, however, I’ve been wanting to refer to the content, so I thought I’d spin it for myself. While I’d rather write a presentation than give one, I sit through them with some regularity. And I’ve sat through some really BAD presentations.… Continue Reading

Properly Pronounce!

Properly Pronounce!

In a blog that I don’t think I’ll publish, I discussed the importance of proper pronunciation. That rant focused on how commonly people drop Rs from words such as “library” and “February.” And while I do find that tendency annoying, the blog itself was just a little too pissy – even for me. That said,… Continue Reading

More “Bogus Grammar Errors”

More “Bogus Grammar Errors”

Last time, I talked about 2 of the 7 bogus grammar ‘errors’ you don’t need to worry about as explained by author Ben Yagoda. I was having a day of Latin grammar references that needed attention, so I skipped the so-called rules that I couldn’t directly connect to Latin. However, I’m so pleased that someone… Continue Reading