How do you know you are (or have) a good editor?

Some of the answers to that question are relatively obvious. A good editor is one who understands the language well, having both an accurate command of the rules (grammar, usage, and punctuation) and a rich, flexible, and ever-expanding vocabulary.

Of course that description would also fit a good proofreader. Proofreading is essential to good editing, but it isn't the whole ball of wax. You might think of an editor as a "proofreader-plus." An editor does proofread, but s/he also goes beyond whether the parts of each sentence are correct. Depending on the type of editing requested, an editor may also

• examine how the words, sentences, paragraphs, etc. work together;
• standardize a document to ensure that, wherever style or format choices are made, they are consistent with previous decisions or guidelines;
• evaluate whether the author's intended message is the one that comes through;
• recommend ways to make a dull or dense passage more descriptive, exciting, active, or clear;... Click here to read the rest of this post at the Sunny Words Blog.

The Sunny Words Blog is authored by VAF member AnnaLisa of Sunny Words Writing Services.


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