WHEN TOLD TO "EDIT" A MANUSCRIPT, no two editors in the world will go about it in the same way. The act of editing means many things to many people; it is seen as an art, a craft, a catharsis, a crusade.  Editing becomes all these and more eventually, but to professional editors it is first a job that results in a product.  Editors are paid to "process" words into communication "packages."

 Arthur Plotnik—Elements of Editing

 5 Reader Turn-Offs


A big part of a content editor's job is to make the writing clear,  reader-friendly, and entertaining. The author may have lined all his or her ducks up in a row, made convincing arguments and delivered an interesting subject matter, but if the material reads as though you were trudging through an Alaskan snow storm without goggles—well —beware the weary eyes of the reader. This sometimes happened to me when evaluating manuscripts. Twenty pages into the manuscript I needed an espresso or a conversation with an office mate to shake the sleep from my eyes.


The reader turns-off and tunes out if the manuscript is:

 1. Too academic, wordy, or abstract.

    Too many repetitive statements or redundancies and obscure points.  The use of a passive voice bogs down the flow, making  for a dry and remote presentation. Also over use of references and notes.

 2. Too superficial, personal, or glib.

    The subject matter is often lightweight, or is buried in material that isn't relevant to the thesis or story. Examples and analogies are not compelling or relevant. Author tries too hard to entertain the reader.  Author often uses too many personal references and sounds amateurish.

 3. Too technical or instructional.

    Your colleagues may understand what you are saying, and you may think it shouldn't take an Einstein to understand you, but the average reader needs your lexicon of terms translated into simple English.  The text often remote and ignores the fact that there is a reader.  It also lacks clear examples.

 4. Not original, too vanilla, or the material is underdeveloped.

    It's already been said better by others. The text may have some excellent points but it needs a new angle. Or the material is flat and needs some lights, camera, action! A little drama and humor goes a long way in keeping a reader's interest. Also, less is not more. Text needs anecdotes, examples, and illustrations to enliven the writing.

 5. Not convincing or unclear.  Poorly developed thesis.

    The text is full of faulty logic or incomplete transitions and explanations.  Or there is subject and verb dysfunction (who is doing what to whom?).  How did we arrive at this point in the text and what does it have to do with what was just said?  Text needs compelling examples to back up concepts.

Note: Many manuscripts have elements of all 5 turn-offs and it is the content editor's job to dig them out and deal with them. Go here to see some things a writer can do to avoid turning their reader off. Or for a quick glance at grammar don'ts, see gooder grammar or how to write more better. For a creative writing point of view, see The Seven Deadly Sins a writer can commit from the International Literary Representation and Management LLC literary agency.
 

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