ABSTRACT
In an important way, once a draft article is produced, the real work begins. As award-winning Chicago playwright and magazine freelancer David Barr often says, “I’m a pretty decent writer, but I’m a great editor.” Editing is where you make the tough choices about what will work and what will not. You also have a chance to make sure you have a complete story. The self-edit process is the stage where everything really comes to life. Here we discuss the important steps that must be taken by the successful freelancer in tightening and (in some cases) even loosening up the copy to maximize reader impact. Planning this stage is essential. This is a process that calls upon the writer to be brutally honest in self assessment—cutting some of the best lines in the story, if need be, and finding additional the self-editing process should track on multiple levels to make sure your piece is “clean.” In other words, you must make sure you have good coverage, the story is a good read, and it is error-free. We will show how important this review can be in making sure factual information and context are comprehensively provided, and, as important as all else, that you have established and supported your theme. Among the other areas covered in this chapter is the nature of the collaboration between contributor and editor. This working relationship creates demands, which we will discuss. Deadlines are vital in this connection to give editors time to work with contributors on conceptual edits, ensuring that the scope of the assigned article that is produced is Learning Objectives
Discuss the importance of taking a critical look at your first draft.
Show the critical steps that must be taken to polish the article.
Demonstrate the documentation that is important to provide editors.
Discuss the important considerations to make in planning for this stage.
