Writing is more than placing one word after another on a screen. That initial combination of vocabulary, punctuation and grammar is only half-finished at best. In the latest book, “Editing: The Essential Guide to Better Writing Across Today’s Media,” authors Buck Ryan and Michael O'Donnell present their first of “12 Core Principles of Editing” to help every writer, journalist and editor finish what they’ve written.
Writing + editing = writing!
“At that glorious moment when you’ve finished writing, take a breath and realize that you’ve only just begun. Step away and take whatever time you need to clear your mind. Then dive back in and begin editing.”
Style, spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage topics are comprehensively covered, but “Editing” also explores what makes a good writer and good editor as well as editing in the reality of the news and media environments.
“Michael and I want to save writers and editors from all the mistakes we made. It’s an embarrassment prevention kit. In the preface, we present several cases of the credibility crisis in journalism. The way out is through editing,” Ryan said.
Ryan is the director of the Citizen Kentucky Project at the University of Kentucky’s Scripps Howard First Amendment Center and a tenured associate professor of journalism in the School of Journalism and Media. O’Donnell taught editing for 23 years at the University of St. Thomas and worked with Ryan at the Chicago Tribune. They have co-authored other writing and editing books and have published many articles and books separately.
In 1993, Ryan first presented his Maestro Concept to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. It is an innovative approach to story planning, writing and newsroom organization. Ryan has conducted Maestro Concept workshops in many countries, regardless of language and cultural differences.
“The Maestro Concept leads through questioning. The reporter is asked to summarize the story in 30 words or fewer after preliminary reporting. Writing short and focusing on the point is an important skill. The second question is why readers should care — what will make them stop and read the reporter’s words? Writing is not for writing’s sake but to help people sort through problems or understand the world better,” Ryan said.
Bill Horner III, former publisher of the Chatham (North Carolina) News + Record and The Sanford Herald (North Carolina), met Ryan at a community media symposium at the University of Kentucky in 2015. Ryan contacted Horner in 2018 when he and his partners bought the News + Record, and they quickly developed a collaboration. Horner has written a sterling review of “Editing” — not just because of his relationship with Ryan. For Horner, the book is so comprehensive that it could replace the dictionary and AP-style book on his bookshelf.
“When you give a reporter an assignment, you want their best effort, not the first effort. You want them to self-edit it and give it to you complete. The book Buck and Michael have written is the tool that allows your reporters to do that,” Horner said.
Horner touts the organization of “Editing,” making it very searchable and allowing the reader to open any page and find useful insights and tips to improve the work of writers and editors.
Order “Editing: The Essential Guide to Better Writing Across Today's Media” through Cognella. Contact Josh Perigo at Cognella, jperigo@cognella.com, for pricing options.
Bob Sillick has held many senior positions and served a myriad of clients during his 47 years in marketing and advertising. He has been a freelance/contract content researcher, writer, editor and manager since 2010. He can be reached at bobsillick@gmail.com.
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