When someone hands over their hard work for you to edit, it is your job to give constructive criticism. The work needs proofing and this is why it is in your hands. However, you must consider the source. The person who gave you the work to edit has a connection to the work. He has created something and is giving you permission to analyze it. Take this permission seriously. Remember that this is his creation and he may want your advice and honest response more than your criticism.
Instructions
1. Look over all of the material. Just breeze through your first reading. Does anything strike you as odd? If anything is alarming, make note of it. If the content is off centered or some areas are much larger than others take time to write this information down. Continue reading on before getting too picky.
2. Next, read through each and every word and see what the flow of the piece is supposed to be. When you are finished reading through the piece, make note on how it made you feel. Was this interesting, comical, heartbreaking, or romantic? Let the author know this. Jot down your positive initial thoughts about the piece.
3. After skimming the entire item, go back through and be a bit more detailed. Is the punctuation and grammar correct? Are you finding that all of the information provided makes sense? Is everything throughout the piece in order or is it scattered about casually? Let the author know if these qualifications are not met, but also offer solutions on make it better.
4. Take some time to yourself and then look over the piece one last time before returning the work to the writer. This will give you a chance to refresh your mind. After you have cleared your head so to speak you will be able to catch things that you may have missed the first few times you looked over the piece. Remember to write down any comments that will benefit the author.
Tags: author know, make note, over piece, work edit