The Art of Editing: Crafting and Revising in Community

Catalog description

This course will provide current guidance and theory behind the craft of editing and copyediting, as well as hands-on practice editing texts in a variety of genres through multiple stages of drafting. A useful practicum for majors interested in editing and copyediting positions in non-profit or industry, the course will also benefit majors and non-majors who want a supportive environment to hone writing, revision, and editing skills essential for contemporary work settings. Students will learn to identify the kinds of editorial work a text needs—developmental editor, content editor, copy editor, or proofreader—and to hone skills at each level to respond accordingly. Students will also learn how to identify what is good, strong, and compelling in a piece of writing and how to work with authors with humility and respect in the developmental and revision stages of writing. We will start from and continually return to the premise that good editing involves remembering that you’re working with another human being and that writing is hard.