How Good Writers Become Good Editors | Brafton

Periods at the end of bullet points. 

Subject-verb agreement. 

Correct AP style capitalization.

Forget sugarplums — these are the visions dancing in my head. They’re the basis for common grammar mistakes and just the beginning of what a good editor must look for in any piece of marketing content.

Note the key term there: “good.” A thoughtful, helpful, responsible editor knows the metaphorical red pen can be more hurtful than the sword, and so must wield it with great care. But how do you do that with deadlines looming and writers’ differing opinions woven into every word?

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Trusting the Writer: When To Ask Questions

At Brafton, every writer is also a peer editor for others’ clients. This exposes us to many different writing styles, client preferences and project types — usually without the full lineup of kickoff calls and internal discussions that contextualize an account’s main writer.

To help editors out, writers often leave comments explaining a client preference or departure from AP style. In return, editors do something crucial: They trust the writer. 

Let’s take a closer look at how that works:

Tone and Voice 

While we keep track of every client’s tone and voice in a detailed creative brief, the finer points often come with experience. That means they can be difficult to communicate to an editor who hasn’t been on the account for years. In these cases, a little trust goes a long way. 

Say you’re reading a blog that’s full of character, but it’s for a manufacturing company — which, in your experience, generally means simple, straightforward content. Because you trust the writer to know the appropriate voice and tone, you don’t have to hit every sentence with the red pen.

Of course, that doesn’t mean your work is done. You can still ensure the voice remains consistent throughout and flag anything that seems too formal or too casual compared to the rest of the piece.

Safe Assumptions

In a setting where each project has its own rules, you have to make some assumptions to save yourself time and avoid overloading writers with irritating, repetitive edits. My rule of thumb is to look for consistency. 

For example, while AP style doesn’t generally use the Oxford comma, some clients prefer it — so if a writer is using this comma consistently, it’s often safe to assume that they know the rule. When I want to be extra safe, I sometimes leave a comment on one comma asking whether it’s correct and let the writer take it from there. This shows that I trust them, but I’m also doing my own due diligence.

On the other hand, if some sentences have Oxford commas and others don’t, it’s time to lift the red pen. Ask the writer which style is the client’s preference and prompt them to look over the entire blog again to ensure consistency.

Building Relationships

As you edit, you’ll naturally build relationships with other writers — and that’s powerful. Good relationships make it easier to ensure correct interpretations in digital communication. You’ll also know more about which writers struggle where and how best to help them.

Here are some examples:

• One writer always struggles with subject-verb agreement, so you know to look for it in all their work
• You chat with a writer regularly outside of editing, so they trust that your critiques are constructive and purposeful, even when there are a lot of them
• You were previously working on an account, so you can provide tips and tricks while editing the new writer

The Good, the Bad and the Funny: Balancing Compliments and Criticism

As an editor, you have power. That’s what the red pen means.

To me, this power is an opportunity to do some good. I would argue that constructive criticism is good by itself, because it makes better writers; however, I also recognize that a doc full of edits can be overwhelming. That’s why I always try to break up my comments with well-placed compliments.

Make Compliments Count

Here are my rules of thumb for celebrating fellow writers:

• Don’t make things up. Compliments just for the sake of compliments aren’t valuable, but details you actually admire — like a well-done joke, immersive imagery or a clear explanation — help writers know where they’re succeeding.
• Don’t go overboard. You don’t want the writer spending too much time reading your comments, even if they’re cheerful and glowing. Leave compliments in purposeful places and keep them brief.

Critique Carefully

Remember that your critiques have power too. You want to be honest without hurting feelings or discouraging the writer. Your goal is to be:

• Helpful
• Constructive
• Clear
• Encouraging

Beyond choosing your words carefully and avoiding “nitpicking” or overly critical edits, stick to specifics. There’s a time and place for your opinions — especially if you present them as “how an outside party might view this” — but in those cases, you must always be clear that you’re not flagging an objective mistake or issue.

Background Research 

One way to ensure your critiques are thoughtful, helpful and specific is to do a little background research. This isn’t always possible, depending on the project or your time constraints. If it is, I always recommend spending just a few minutes getting familiar with the requirements, outline and any feedback or conversations. That way, you’re not “piling on” the writer by flagging something they already know is correct or purposeful.

The Shield Mindset

Another way I like to approach editing is to see myself as a shield. It’s my job to catch errors and ask questions before a project gets to approval. I’m protecting the writer from having more work to do later — and from potentially slowing the project as a result.

Little Fixes for Big Impact: When To Just Do It

Before Brafton, I was a writing tutor. The goal was to point out problems and provide solutions, but not to fix them for the students. Often, that’s a good approach with editing as well, because it helps writers learn.

But the reality is that some things aren’t worth sending back. It’s just as easy for me to make these changes. Plus, in these cases, the writer doesn’t miss out on a learning experience or come back later to see significantly altered work with their name on it.

Here’s a quick look at what I fix vs. what I send back:

Do It!

• Typos.
• Hyperlink issues.
• Any single mistake (like one Oxford comma when everything else is consistent).

Don’t Do It!

• Voice/tone issues.
• Flow problems.
• Sourcing and attribution questions.

Let Yourself Learn

Here’s my secret: I look at every editing job as an opportunity to become better in 3 ways:

1. A Better Editor

Practice makes perfect.

Yes, it’s a cliche. Yes, I’m using it on purpose. My editor gets me (right, Anima?).

And that’s the thing about editing: Every time you run into something weird, you learn from it. For example:

• You think a semicolon is in the wrong place, but you look it up, and it turns out the writer was correct. Your punctuation skill has increased by 1.
• You’re not sure exactly why a sentence feels wrong, so you learn a new way to communicate the possible issue without having a specific, documented rule to point to. You’re mastering the art of valuable opinions.
• You see someone capitalizing headings differently than you do. Turns out, you’ve been wrong all along. Congratulations — you learned and made life easier for your future editor.

2. A Better Writer

Don’t take off your writer hat to put on your editor hat. Instead, just stack ‘em.

After all, every editing job allows you to see another writer’s hard work. You can learn from them while you’re moving their commas around or fixing their AP style capitalization. Watch how they handle the things you struggle with, like integrating sources, transitioning between ideas or hooking the reader from the very first sentence. It’s a reminder that nobody is perfect but that everybody has something to teach.

3. A Better Teammate

Editing is also a chance to learn more about your peers. You get to see what their natural style looks like, where they play to their strengths and what challenges they deal with every day.

You’re not just building empathy and picking up a few tricks along the way, although there’s value in both things. You’re also feeling less alone in the labyrinth of content writing. 

And isn’t that what editing is all about?

Remembering Your Goal

OK, I got caught up in the good vibes. No — of course editing isn’t about feeling less alone! It’s about collaborating to ensure the content does its job!

Sure, everything I’ve covered today is important to keep in mind. However, it’s not the primary goal. Your main responsibility is to do what’s best for the project, so don’t forget about crucial stuff like deadlines and writing requirements. 

At the end of the day, the red pen is only mightier than the sword if you know how to wield it properly. And your first test begins now.

Challenge: 

What standard AP style punctuation rule did I use inconsistently throughout this blog? 

(For the answer, read the first line in the intro!)