Help the Reader

The copy editor's ultimate goal is to shape a piece of writing so that it achieves its goals. Often, that means finding and highlighting the main idea of the piece. If you can, work with the writer or assigning editor, but if that's not possible, then separate the main idea from the other ideas, and be sure it is high up in the story. Then be sure the lead and the headline reflect this idea.

Be careful of "acutely aware of the obvious" leads and headlines. If you start by telling your audience that coffee can keep them awake, they'll lose their attention span pretty quickly because you're not telling them anything new. If your piece is really promoting a new sleep aid or decaffeinated beverage, you've already lost them. Instead, tell the audience something they don't know.

Tags: advice, copy editing

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 20th, 2008 at 10:15 am and is filed under Career Resources. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.