Learn by doing.
As a young person just starting what will hopefully be a long career in the editing and publishing industry, I still have a lot to learn. Over the past two years while studying at university, I have learned so much in the classroom, building off the expertise of my teachers and growing with and from my peers. However, it is true what they say about practical learning outside of the classroom — this is where you truly grow and really cement the skills that have been taught to you.
This collaborative project between RMIT’s Associate Degree in Professional Writing and Editing and Diploma of Photography and Photo-imaging students has been an opportunity to do exactly that. Through the two projects that I worked on, I learned valuable lessons about both editing as a practice as well as myself as an editor. This project took place over the space of a few months, which went by in a blink, but if I could go back and give my past self a little bit of advice, this is what I would say.
Make a clear and distinct timeline
This may not be stuck to 100% but it’s better that both parties are clear on what is required of them and by when. Ideally, this timeline will be stuck to by both parties and everything will run smoothly — there will be no coffee fueled editing marathons and no dinners will need to be eaten at your desk. Even if this doesn’t happen, you will have something to fall back on if the project starts to fall behind, pushing one aspect of the project back by a few days will have a domino effect that you can see clearly on the timeline.
Make sure your writers understand your process
It’s not necessarily clear to everyone just how long the editing process takes — you have to make it clear that you need a certain amount of time to get a job done. Also ensure that your creator understands that there are different stages of the editing process. Think back to a couple of years ago, sure you had a rough idea of what an editor does but you had no idea just how many different processes were involved or what these processes were — this is most likely how your writer feels. Let them know exactly what it is that you’ll be doing, this way both parties will be clear on the expectations.
Give yourself breathing space
People miss deadlines and jobs take longer to complete than estimated — this is just the nature of creative work. Save yourself some stress, aim to finish things a few days early and avoid scrambling to finish by the deadline. If everything goes to plan and you end up finishing early, well then that’s the best result you can hope for. Think all of the extra proofreading you can fit in.
Print it off
It’s a photobook, the layout and how it appears on the page is just as important as the words and the content itself. You can’t always appreciate this while looking at a computer screen — you need to print it off at its varying stages of completion in order to ensure that the design and the layout is working well. Sure you’ll have to watch the credit on your printing account go down more in one semester than it has in two years, but you’ll be able to see the book how it’s meant to be seen.
You need to adjust your editing style:
As you gain more experience editing, you will start to become familiar with your own personal editing style. This comes across in how you interact with your creators, both in person and via email. However, not every creator is the same, and they don’t all require the same thing from you. Not everyone reacts to the same style of editing — you have to adjust how you work to get the best content out of your creator. Some writers or creators may require gentle support, while others may needs a bit more in terms of ensuring that they meet their deadlines and their own expectations.
I learnt a lot from this project, and these books are something that I’m sure I’ll look back on fondly for years to come. They are one of the biggest projects I have worked on to date and it’s an incredibly rewarding feeling being able to hold them in my hands as something that I’ve helped to create.
But what I’m taking away from this experience is so much more than just a book, I’m walking away with so many more intangible rewards. This experience has helped to build my confidence as an editor — seeing the final product and being able to compare it to earlier drafts means I was able to see how my feedback and advice helped to improve the already incredible work.
This project has been a great learning opportunity and one that I’m sure I will draw on and think about for a long time.
