Is Editing Your Superpower?

 

Do you like working with words? Do you often find typos and mistakes in the things you read?

 

Do you have a knack for making sentences sound better and helping words flow from paragraph to paragraph? Maybe you’re the go-to person that coworkers or friends ask to review what they’ve written.

 

If any of this sounds like you, then editing may just be your thing.

 

What Does Being an Editor Mean?

In basic terms, an editor is someone who reviews a piece of writing and makes it better by fixing mistakes and making sure it covers what author Amy Einsohn (The Copyeditor’s Handbook) calls the “4 Cs” – clarity, coherence, consistency, and correctness.

 

As they are reading, editors will want to ask themselves:

·      Is the writing clear (clarity)?

·      Is it logical and easy to follow (coherence)?

·      Is it consistent, for example, in the use of terms, verb tense, etc. (consistency)?

·      Is the information accurate (correctness)?

 

What Skills do Editors Need?

A good editor will have these skills:

·      A good vocabulary

·      An eye for detail

·      Grammar and punctuation sense

·      Ability to read a variety of materials written in different styles

·      Love of reading

 

While editors are reading for grammar and punctuation mistakes, they are also looking at other details like readability, sentence structure, and word flow. They look at the nitty-gritty details as well as the whole picture. That being said, there are different types of editing.

 

Let’s explore the types of editing to see which one piques your interest or lends itself to your strengths. You may even find more than one type appeals to you.

 

Types of Editing

Here is a brief summary of the different types of editing.

 

1.    Developmental/structural editing. Developmental editing looks at the big picture, like a novel or short story’s plot, theme, and characters. A developmental editor examines the whole project and its structure and may rearrange sections, identify confusing content, and add features like headings and bulleted lists. They assess the tone and voice and make sure the work meets brand/style guide requirements, if there are any.

2.    Line/stylistic editing. Line editing is done line by line, paragraph by paragraph. It looks at word choice, sentence structure, verb tense, and scene and image descriptions like in books. This type of editing also ensures the words and prose flow and the tone and style are consistent. Line editing can be done in conjunction with developmental editing.

 

3.    Copyediting/mechanical editing. Copyediting or mechanical editing looks closely for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and word usage mistakes. Copy editors also do fact-checking and follow style guides. These types of editors are called mechanical editors because they aren’t concerned with the content of the story as much as the correctness or “mechanics” of the language.

 

4.    Proofreading. Proofreading is the last step in the editing process before going to print (aka hitting the publish button or going live). Proofreaders look for the same issues as a copy editor, and many perform their editing on a printed, hard copy (especially for books). Proofreaders also look at formatting details like typesetting, line breaks, etc. Hence, this is the reason for working on a printed copy.

 

Getting Started

If any of these editing styles appeal to you and you feel editing is something you’d like to do, check out some of the professional organizations like The Society for Editing (ACES), Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors   NAIWE.

 

Let your social network know you’re offering editing services – both by word of mouth and by creating social media posts. And to start practicing your skills, offer to help a friend by editing their resume or a coworker by reviewing their annual report.

 

Also, look into freelance sites like Fiverr where you can set up a profile with your editing services and start building your business.

 

Whichever type of editing calls to you, know that your talents are needed. Now, go out and put your superpowers to work!

 

 

Resources

Einsohn, Amy (2011). The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, with Exercises and Answer Keys. Berkeley, California: University of California.

Proofed.com -- Knowledge Hub  

Writing and AI Detectors

 

 

Artificial Intelligence, AI, is all around us and is being used for some incredible things. Many of these things are new and exciting. Some even make our lives easier.

 

For writers, there are a plethora of AI writing tools (aka content generators) that do all sorts of things—create outlines, brainstorm ideas, summarize a topic, or fix grammar mistakes. These programs can also help you with your writing style. Need your prose to sound more conversational, formal, or witty? There’s an AI program for that.

 

As more and more AI writing tools are created, so are programs detecting their use. So, if you’re a student using AI to write your papers or essays for you, be aware that teachers and schools can use AI detectors to find out. The same goes for anyone writing scholarly research papers, blogs, professional articles, or other materials—publishers and employers may use AI detectors, too.

 

So, what do AI detectors look for? These detectors are looking to see if a machine or a human has done the writing. They look for specific characteristics in the text. Is the text predictable and a bit generic? Are the sentences of similar length and the structure more conventional? It could be AI. Or are they dynamic with a richer vocabulary and less predictable sentence structure? Perhaps they have some typos and missing punctuation. Probably human.

 

Two terms related to detecting AI versus human content are the “burstiness” and “perplexity” of text. According to an article in scribbr.com, burstiness is “a measure of variation in sentence structure and length.” Low burstiness means the content is most likely AI-generated. Scribbr.com describes perplexity as “a measure of how unpredictable text is.” Like burstiness, the lower the perplexity, the more likely the material is AI-generated.

 

There are dozens of AI detectors on the market. Some, like copyleaks.com and gptzero.me, have you copy and paste your text into a box on their website and they will instantly “detect” the source it’s from. Is it ChatGPT? ChatGPT 4? Bard? Human? Human + AI? They can tell. Others like Winston AI and crossplag.com require you to sign up and create an account before you can try their detection tool.

 

Concerns have been raised about the accuracy of AI detectors. Some detectors are better than others. According to theblogsmith.com, one of the reasons the accuracy of these detectors varies is because each AI tool is (1) trained on different content datasets, and (2) AI detectors are “based in large part on probabilities.” While no detectors are 100% accurate and each has limitations, as AI content generators get more sophisticated, detectors will as well.

 

If you choose to use AI-generated content, remember to:

 

1.     Use it wisely—use it in conjunction with your writing, like a writing assistant, to generate ideas or outlines, but not to write your work for you.

2.     Double-check the information it generates for accuracy and if it makes sense.

3.     Cite the AI tool you used as one of your sources. Any AI material you include needs to be acknowledged. You can’t claim it as your original work if you didn’t write it yourself.

 

As someone with a lifelong passion for writing, I have conflicting feelings about AI and its impact on what is being written and published. Who will monitor the AI-generated content to ensure it’s being used correctly and that the information it generates is accurate and true?

 

Have you used any of the AI-generating tools? Which ones? Have you—or anyone you know—used an AI detector for their work? Let us know.

 

Resources

·      14 Best AI Plagiarism Checkers to Detect ChatGPT-Generated Content

·      10 Best AI Detection Tools for Teachers & Professors

·      10 AI Content Detection Tools You Should Know About

Let’s Get Write on It

 

As writers, we choose to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard for all sorts of reasons. We write because we feel compelled to share our story or weave a new one or just to express ourselves. Or we need to write that report for school or work.

 

Let’s explore more reasons why—and what—we write.

 

Why do we write?

People write for all sorts of reasons—to express themselves, to be creative, to share an experience, to get published, or to reflect. These are just a few of the many reasons. Some people write for professional reasons and some just for themselves.

 

Writing can be a way to sort our thoughts or write down our frustrations. Or perhaps we’re finally ready to write that story we’ve been carrying around in our head.

 

What do we write?

There are all sorts of things to write—from journaling and poetry to novels and short stories—to sharing a life experience. There are academic papers that include research and technical manuals outlining instructions. Some of us write songs, podcast scripts, blogs, and even letters.

 

What are some benefits of writing?

Writing can have all sorts of benefits. It’s good for your mental health. It generates creativity, improves concentration, widens your vocabulary, and reduces stress. These are just some of the benefits—I’m sure many of us could add to this list.

 

How do I get started writing?

If you’re thinking about writing—just start. No need to wait for the perfect moment. It’s about getting your thoughts, notes, and ideas written down. There’s no right or wrong way to start. The key is to just begin. Writers all have to start somewhere.

 

If you’re writing for your job or school, you most likely will have a style and guidelines to follow. But if it’s for yourself, anything goes. You decide your format and your style.

 

Now that you’re ready to write, it’s time to decide on your medium. Is it a pen and paper like a journal or notebook? Or is it on your laptop using Microsoft Word or OneNote or Google Docs? Maybe it’s your iPad or tablet.

 

Next, find a comfortable writing spot and start jotting down your words and ideas. If you get stumped, that’s ok. Don’t let that stop you. Plus, if you get stuck, there are plenty of books and online resources to help you.

 

Finally, make writing a habit if you can or at the very least take advantage of a free moment or two to jot things down.

 

What types of writing tools are out there?

There are plenty of tools—from grammar checkers to writing guides to AI writing software. There are books and blogs and podcasts with all sorts of helpful information.

 

Is this the year you’re going to embark on your writing journey? Now’s the time to get right (pun intended) on it and get started!

Tips for Using Grammarly and Other AI Editing Tools Effectively

 

If you need some extra help with editing your writing project, consider using one of the many online AI editing tools that are now available. For help with grammar, typos, word usage, plagiarism, sentence structure, and more, these tools can help you polish your writing. Grammarly, ProWritingAid, QuillBot, WhiteSmoke, Readable, WordTune, Ginger, Sapling, and PaperRater—just to name a few—each offers assistance in their own unique ways. In this podcast episode, Kate talks about using an AI editing tool like Grammarly to help with your writing. Have you used any of these tools? Do you have a favorite one? Let us know in our discussion area.

 

Listen to Podcast

 

Editing with Kate! Episode 28 Transcripts

Resources

• The Top 13 Grammarly Alternatives in 2023
• Grammarly Grammar Checker

 

AI Editing Tools

• ProWritingAid
• QuillBot
• WhiteSmoke
• Readable
• WordTune
• Ginger
• Sapling
• PaperRater

Exploring the Role of ChatGPT in Teaching, Learning, and Publishing

 

Join us for a free webinar on the role of ChatGPT in teaching, learning, and publishing. For more information and how to register for the webinar go to https://scoc-consulting.com/free-webinar-on-chatgpt.