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Editing is Not Proofreading

Written by copydude on June 22nd, 2009

Most people would agree on this single idea: in the business world communication is key. It is how products are launched, changes ratified, and is, undoubtedly sitting behind the metaphoric wheel of all advertising. So should we not be paying close attention to exactly what we are communicating?

That is what this article is all about: getting the most out of the written word. Now, I recognize that writing is not the only means of communication. Indeed, in some cases it may not even be the best means. But it is important. From magazines to corporate reports, from instructional books to restaurant menus, the written word is used to communicate every single day. In fact, if you really think about it, the amount of information that is communicated through reading is absolutely astounding.

But the truth is, writing is not easy.

The mechanics might be simple enough. We know how to string letters together to make words, and most of us know how to string words together to make simple sentences. But beyond that, when it comes to stringing sentences into paragraphs and paragraphs into sections or chapters, things become more difficult.

During the year that I was working on my Master’s degree in English Literature, I had the privilege of working as a teaching assistant. Part of my responsibilities involved running weekly tutorials for first year undergraduate students. When it came time for them to write their term papers, one of the key points that I tried to get across was this: editing is not the same as proofreading. Too often, people make the mistake of understanding these two concepts synonymously. But, in reality, these two important steps in the writing process actually involve different skill sets.

Proofreading should always be the last step in the writing process. It involves crossing your t’s and dotting your i’s. Or, to put it more practically, it involves scanning the written piece for any typos or minor grammatical errors. If we were to compare writing to drawing, proofreading would be like what the artist does when he goes over a drawing with his pencil and eraser, sharpening up the lines to their final shape. But, before undertaking this process, the artist has to commit to his composition.

But what if the composition itself is flawed? When this is the case, no amount of fine tuning will ever fix the problem. In fact, it will probably make it all the more obvious.

Editing, on the other hand, is like the reworking of the composition. It involves moving things around, making things larger or smaller, even removing and adding entire sections. It is a reconsideration which leads to rewriting and reorganization, all for the purpose of creating the strongest possible composition.

Now I can already hear the question some people will ask: “Can I skip the editing process?” Of course you can, but the truth of the matter is that, if you do, your work will never be as strong as it could be. Let me put it to you another way. Would a director put out a film without editing it? Would he shoot hours and hours of footage then just send it off to the big screen and hope that people would come and watch? Probably not.

And the same is true of writing. No matter how brilliant your initial “footage” may be, it will still need to go through the cutting process before it is ready for proofing and then the final journey to the big-screen, whether that screen be a magazine, the internet or an important marketing piece.

Matt Ward is the Creative Director for Highland Marketing, a direct marketing company located out of Waterloo, Ontario. His primary responsibilities include graphics design, developing and maintaining the company website, and the writing and editing of many articles and communications. He holds his Master’s in English Literature.

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