Sunday, March 28, 2010

Editing Symbols, Erik Nelson


Behind every piece of writing is a meticulous task that must be done to ensure that everything is correct in that writing. Editing is perhaps one of the most important parts of a written piece because it allows the reader to have confidence in the writer and the story or article. Editors have used copy editing symbols to help writers and editors streamline the editing process which would otherwise be a daunting task.


E.B. Harris provides some tips in an article Learning Copywriting Symbols, such as learning to work with your copy editor because editing is a part of a successful career in writing. Harris also notes that "Different 'schools' also use slightly different symbols" and that they can vary considerably. Susan Eder tells in a blog post that just because different symbols are used that it doesn't mean one way is right, while the other way is wrong. With different editors using different symbols, it is easy to see that some people could be confused about having to learn a lot of different symbols, however, editing is one of the keys to success in writing and any hassle to make sure a piece of writing meets the expectations of readers is well worth the hassle.


Image by Eve Corbel at GEIST


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