Abhirupa Purkayastha – Simplifying Life

Get an insight into the world of editing

“The work was like peeling an onion. The outer skin came off with difficulty… but in no time you’d be down to its innards, tears streaming from your eyes as more and more beautiful reductions became possible.” By Blishen, Edward

Editing plays a major role in making content clear, error-free and credible. Though, Iam not an editor by profession, but due to certain reasons for the past few days I have been chopping off copies. So, settle in and take a look at what I do

1. Spot errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting.
2. Interpret jargon or technical words. Cut out needless words. Change long and complicated words to short and clear ones without endangering accuracy.
3. Make sure the content is understandable. Avoid ambiguity in the article. If possible, I give the article to two or three colleagues and ask them whether they have understood what the writer is trying to explain.
4. It is important that the story has a focus. For instance, you start off an article on importance of proofreading and all off a sudden you start giving them tips on gardening! How vague it would be, isn’t it?
5. Credibility is a big factor on the net. So I encourage giving enough authentic references.
6. While I edit, I read out loud every sentence where I have made a change. It would ensure that the change didn’t cause any structural problem.
7. Trim fat and ugly quotes to make them better. Sometimes I shorten long-winded quotes, usually big quotes with complex sentences makes readers wander.