by Paula Robertson
Editor’s Note: A version of this article was originally published in the STC Notebook in December 2013 as the fourth in a series. Over the course of 2022, we hope to publish more of these articles. To make it easier for you to find these articles again in the future, they will be tagged with the Eye for Editing tag, and the titles prefaced with the same phrase.
I know it’s April, but have you ever made a “new year’s” resolution related to your work in technical communication? Once, when I was asked to do so, the only resolve that came to my mind was “to practice what I preach” in terms of editing.
And that just didn’t seem to be a worthy resolution. To be honest, I was hesitant to admit that I continue to struggle with the all-important aspect of editing that is for me “learned” rather than “innate” (see Eye for Editing: Learned or Innate?). Although I write and speak about the importance of it, I struggle in the practice of people skills.
An editor can possess all manner of confidence in their command of technical communication rules and practices, years of exceptional prowess in turning textual sows’ ears into silk purses, a wealth of professional accolades, a lengthy resume of experience and training. But if they don’t have a soft touch in communicating their editing expertise, their marks are nothing more than unwelcome clamor to the recipient. My last article, Eye for Editing: Taking It Personally, provided a “good” example of a time when I failed miserably.
I will add that whether the soft skill, people side of editing is learned or innate depends largely on one’s inherent temperament and personal emotional journey since the birth of their personality. Oops! That’s getting dangerously close to psychoanalysis, and I am not going there.
But my point is that what might be “innate” about a particular editor’s skill is not entirely or necessarily related to content or language expertise. Am I backtracking on my original thesis? Not exactly. Only adding breadth to the discussion, as well as underlining how complex the editor’s role is.
In plain terms, relating effectively in the editor role is harder for some than it is for others. If you aspire to be an editor, are you aware of how you come across to others in general? I suggest that learning to be an editor means working just as diligently on people skills as on technical practice. If you’re like me, you have to work harder at learning and using those people skills that make you a sought-after, effective editor. And that’s why I resolve to practice what I preach.
Paula Robertson has learned her editing skills over a long and varied career, while swapping among the various titles of writer, editor, and designer. No matter what her current job title, she has earned the right to call herself the Full-service Editor, because of her ability to review text and graphics as cohesive parts of a whole. In STC, her current job title is facilitator for the Solo Technical Communicator SIG/COI. You can reach her at: solotechnicalcommunicator@gmail.com
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