revision & editing: strategies for making copy better

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5 Big Questions & Lots of Answers Revising & Editing cc: Suncatcher Craft Eyes F https://www.flickr.com/photos/72663629@N00 © 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

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Page 1: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

5&Big&Questions&&&Lots&of&AnswersRevising'&'Editing

cc:'Suncatcher'Craft'Eyes'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/72663629@N00© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 2: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Session'Overview• Slug:&Better&writing&with&better&

revision&• Story:&We&all&want&to&be&better&writers&• News:&What&we&really&need&to&be&is&

better&revisers&• So?:&5&questions&and&few&easyPtoPlearn&

revisions&significantly&improve&your&writing

Page 3: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Look&at&it&again&and&make&it&better.Revision'

cc:'Suncatcher'Craft'Eyes'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/72663629@N00

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 4: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

We'Need'Revision• We&all&overPwrite&• Our&ideas&can&be&clearer&and&details&stronger&

• We&can&tune&our&voice&• Our&logic&can&be&stronger&&• We&can&use&better&words,&fix&errors&• Too&often,&feedback&isn’t&actionable

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 5: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

• To&revise&our&own&work&and&help&others&revise&theirs&&

• To&provide&*actionable*&feedback&that&everyone&understands&and&uses&&

• To&help&us&become&better&writers&and&editors.

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

We'Need'a'Process

Page 6: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

The'5'Big'Questions1. What&makes&this&writing&good?&2. What&would&make&it&better?&3. What’s&the&one&most&important&thing&the&writer&wants&the&reader&to&know?&

4. Why&did&the&writer&write&this?&5. What&else&does&the&reader&need&to&know?&&

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 7: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

The'5'Big'Questions•Ask&and&(try&to)&answer&these&about&your&own&writing,&and&when&reviewing&someone&else’s&&

• Use&them&to&identify&how&to&spend&revision&energy&

•Make&them&a&shared&part&of&your&newsroom&work&flow.&&

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 8: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

The'5'Big'QuestionsThe&answers&to&these&questions&—&those&actionable&revisions&—&fall&into&two&categories:&

1.&&Big&Revisions&2.&&Small&Revisions

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 9: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Big'Revisions• Fix&conceptual&elements&that&have&a&huge&impact&on&your&content&

• Must&be&done&firstcc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 10: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Big'Revisions• Voice:&Does&it&sound&appropriate&for&the&

audience&and&topic?&

• Main&Idea/Angle:&Can&you&easily&identify&the&angle&or&most&important&takePaway?&

• Key&Details:&Is&there&sufficient&supporting&information&of&different&types?

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 11: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Big'Revisions• Lede&&&Nut&Graf:&Is&the&top&of&your&story&

enticing,&engaging&and&relevant?&

• Organization:&Are&the&ideas&in&the&right&order&to&lead&to&a&logical&conclusion?&

• Ending:&Do&you&end&with&a&clear&sense&of&what's&important&and&why&to&care?

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 12: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

How'to'Revise'Voice• Tightly&define&your&reader&and&a&few&characteristics&of&the&kind&of&person&they&trust.&&

• Write&in&a&tone&that&reflects&characteristics

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 13: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Small'Revisions• Are&more&technical&changes&that&improve&readability,&style&and&engagement&

• Should&be&made&after&big&revisions

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 14: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Small'Revisions• Concision&&&Clarity:&Is&the&writing&free&of&

unnecessary&words&and&phrases?&Are&the&concepts&clear?&

• Word&Choice:&Are&verbs&precise&and&words&appropriate&for&audience&&&topic?&

• Sentence&Fluency:&Does&copy&flow&with&different&sentence&structures&&&lengths?

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 15: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Small'Revisions• Heds&&&Subs:&Do&you&have&enough&to&

break&up&content,&assist&organization&and&support&skimming&and&scanning?&&

• Word&Count:&Do&you&need&to&add&or&cut&to&reach&length&requirements?&

• Formatting:&Does&the&format&make&the&content&easy&to&consume?

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 16: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

How'to'Revise'Sentences• Delete&unnecessary&&&introductory&phrases&

• Strike&qualifiers&&&superfluous&modifiers&

• Combine&or&divide&sentences&to&vary&fluency,improve&clarity

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 17: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

How'to'Revise'Verbs• Replace&weak&verbs&with&those&that&convey&action&*and*&how&it's&performed&to&increase&clarity&and&concision&

• Example:&"dashed"&replaces&"walked&quickly"

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 18: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Fix&formatting&and&SPUG&errors.Edits

cc:'Suncatcher'Craft'Eyes'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/72663629@N00

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 19: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Edits• Focus&expressly&on&mechanics&like&spelling,&punctuation,&usage&and&grammar&(SPUG)&

• Only&done&after&revisions&are&complete

cc:'gastongaiduk'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/105553134@N05

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 20: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

The'Process1. Draft&fast&2. Make&Big&Revisions&on&your&own&work&3. Check&them&off&with&your&editor&4. Do&Small&Revisions&on&your&own&work&5. Check&them&off&with&a&colleague&or&copy&

editor&6. Edit&your&own&work&7. Hand&off&to&a&copy&editor

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 21: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

Pressed'for'time?1. Cut&15P20%&of&the&words&&&phrases.&

2. Read&aloud&to&find&typos&and&SPUG&errors&

*This&has&more&impact&than&you&think.*cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 22: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

Questions?'Observations?

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 23: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

PresentaCon&slides&available&at&&h3p://www.slideshare.net/Margot_Lester'

InformaCon&on&the&strategies&available&at:&h3p://bit.ly/TWFReviseEdit

Page 24: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

cc:'shaire'productions'F'https://www.flickr.com/photos/9822107@N08

Thank'you!

© 2016 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at [email protected]

Page 25: Revision & Editing: Strategies for Making Copy Better

CONNECT WITH US

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[email protected] [email protected]

thewordfactory.com | ttms.org |babw.me

@word_factory | @stevepeha

/margotlester | /stevepeha

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