Definition:
A stage of the writing process in which a writer strives to improve a draft (and sometimes prepare it for publication) by correcting errors and by making words and sentences clearer, more precise, and more effective. See also:
Etymology:
From the French, "to publish, edit"Observations:
- "The final step for the writer is to go back and clean up the rough edges. . . . Here are some checkpoints:
"Facts: Make sure that what you've written is what happened;
"Spelling: Check and recheck names, titles, words with unusual spellings, your most frequently misspelled words, and everything else. Use a spell check but keep training your eye;
"Numbers: Recheck the digits, especially phone numbers. Check other numbers, make sure all math is correct, give thought to whether numbers (crowd estimates, salaries, etc.) seem logical;
"Grammar: Subjects and verbs must agree; pronouns need correct antecedents; modifiers must not dangle; make your English teacher proud;
"Style: When it comes to repairing your story, leave the copy desk feeling like the washing machine repair guy who has nothing to do."
(F. Davis and K. F. Dunlap, The Effective Editor, Poynter, 2000) - "Rewriting is the essence of writing well: it's where the game is won or lost. . . . Most writers don't initially say what they want to say, or say it as well as they could. The newly hatched sentence almost always has something wrong with it. It's not clear. It's not logical. It's verbose. It's klunky. It's pretentious. It's boring. It's full of clutter. It's full of cliches. It lacks rhythm. It can be read in several different ways. It doesn't lead out of the previous sentence. It doesn't . . . The point is that clear writing is the result of a lot of tinkering."
(William Zinsser, On Writing Well, Harper, 2006)
Pronunciation: ED-et-ing
