February/March 2006

Volume 46, Number 4

Tips from the Trenches

by Deb Lockwood

Communication between Writers and Editors

As a writer, one of my secret weapons is having an editor. My editor at CSG Systems, Inc., (my employer) not only helps me stay on the straight and narrow with style and English language corrections, she helps me communicate more effectively with my audience. My editor for this newsletter corrects my errors and puts the polish on these articles.

In this article I will share some of the insights that I have gleaned from CSG's editors for maintaining effective communication between writers and editors.

What enhances the relationship between a writer and an editor?

• Communicating openly and honestly
• Being flexible while working together (e.g., establishing dates, determining needed format or style exceptions)
• Approaching things from the perspective of working together for a common goal
• Working with the editor to negotiate deliverable dates, then respecting those deadlines (e.g., the writer gets the documents to editor on time, and the editor returns them on time)
• Having mutual respect and trust (e.g., don't gossip about someone's mistakes around the water cooler)
• Agreeing on the project scope (e.g., will the editor edit the entire guide or only those sections that have changed)

What hampers the relationship?

• Taking edits too seriously or personally (both writers and editors)
• Sending drafts to editors around noon on the due date, rather than early in the day
• Acting superior to the other person
• Bleeding red ink all over the paper
• Making edits that are outside the scope of the project
• Missing deadlines, especially when it happens repeatedly
• Speaking negatively about the other person
• Going over the other person's head to his or her manager instead of first discussing issues with the person

Tips

Tip #1 — Send a survey to your editor (or writer) at the beginning of the year requesting feedback on the effectiveness of your communication. Use the feedback to take the temperature of your relationship and gather information that will help you improve your communication.

Tip #2 — Find out how the other person prefers to communicate (e.g., e-mail, telephone, face-to-face) and communicate to him or her in that fashion.

Tip #3 — For editors, avoid only pointing out errors in edited material. Once in a while add a "good job" notation for well-written sections.

Tip #4 — For writers, make note of an edit that you especially appreciate and tell the editor about that edit, thanking him or her for his or her diligence.

Tip #5 — Remember that you are a part of a team and that you both have a common goal: to produce clear, correct, concise content for the reader.

Contributors: Sue Daniel, Barb Krause