3.+Working+with+Writers

= **3.**  **Working with Writers**=

**3.1** **Technical Writers**
Technical writers are the conduit between subject matter expert and reader. A technical writer often becomes a subject matter expert as a result of researching a subject in preparation for writing about it. The role of the writer is an important one, as the person with the most comprehensive technical knowledge often may not be the most able communicator. This is where the writer comes in – to effectively communicate technical knowledge for the reader to act upon.

**3.2** **Technical Editors**
Technical editors often manage writers, subject matter experts and other team members to complete a project, and even coordinate publishing tasks. In addition, editors offer their language expertise to the project, which ensures clarity and readability for the reader. Often, writing projects may be completed by team members that are not all physically located in the same place and may not have worked with each other before. Managing a team of people who are not physically located in the same place presents its challenges. Varying physical locations may mean working with people in different time zones and managing different work styles and schedules remotely can be difficult for even the most seasoned editors and project managers. Fortunately, with the ability to work in this manner, comes the availability of technology to facilitate distance work. Meetings and demonstrations can be conducted through online meeting software on the Internet, (e.g., WebEx, Go Meeting, etc.), to facilitate product demonstrations and documentation review. Instant messaging and e-mail are widely accepted communication tools and computer programs like Microsoft Office, among others, enable people to share and review electronic files. Even when colleagues are not working in remote locations, these types of technological advances have facilitated communication, document sharing, and document editing.

**3.4** **The Writer-Editor Relationship**
A writer may work alone or with a team of writers and subject matter experts to complete a project. Writer-editor relationships succeed for many reasons, some of which include: good writing and editing, good management, and collaborative partnerships. These relationships can fail for many reasons but often include: poor writing and editing, poor management, and oversized egos. A successful relationship between writers and editors is often the result of individuals who consider themselves partners working together for a common goal, despite the fact that there may be disagreements and stress. Rude lists writers’ common dislikes/likes of editors, most of which concerns editing itself, while other dislikes/likes focus on management style. As in any working relationship, working with others with respect and effective communication is often the key to success. Writers are justifiably irritated when editors make unwarranted or unexplained edits; or change the meaning of what the writer wrote. At the heart of a successful working relationship between writer and editor is effective work and effective communication. Warranting evidence for edits can help avoid this tension. For example, when editing for grammar or punctuation, it is prudent to include specific references to __The__ __Chicago__ __Manual of Style.__ By warranting evidence, the writer recognizes the edits as standard and can look up the reference for more information. A writer respects the editor by taking the edits seriously and thoughtfully.

In chapter three of __Technical Editing__, Rude outlines steps an editor can take to manage the job effectively. // For more information //, see Rude pp. 35-44.
 * 1. Participate early.** Participate in planning to agree on project goals from the start and eliminate potential conflict.
 * 2. Clarify your expectations.** Communicate guidelines for style, usage, punctuation, spelling of technical terms, and visual design; these should be available to writers at the beginning so established standards will be understood and adhered to.
 * 3. Work with the writer throughout the development.** Ongoing collaboration and communication throughout the project keeps the writer on schedule and enables the initial plan to be adjusted as needed.
 * 4. Don’t surprise.** Set expectations with the writer about the types of edits you plan to make and when making extensive revisions, discuss your plans with the writer in advance.
 * 5. Be prompt.** Get your work done on time and let others know when you will complete your edits.

1. Overview 2. Technical Editing 3. Working with Writers 4. Types of Editing 5. Editing Technologies and Proofreaders' Marks 6. Editing for International Audiences
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