Editing of official documents. Applications Common Writing Mistakes

Editorial work is most directly related to journalism. And even if the finished material in the future will pass through the hands of the editor of any publication or website, the author is simply obliged to pre-check it himself in order to eliminate errors, typos, discrepancies, etc. That is why for a competent journalist it will always be an advantage to know the newspaper or publishing business, the features of turning a manuscript into a publication, the basics of modern printing technologies and techniques, and the economics of publishing. Based on this, we will talk about a journalist in this lesson as an editor. As a matter of fact, the lesson itself will be useful not only for journalists, but also for editors.

The editor is a person who is impeccably literate, who knows the literary language perfectly, who knows how to use all the abundance of lexical and stylistic means to make the text bright, understandable and interesting for the reader. The very concept of "editing" can be considered from the standpoint of its three main meanings:

Checking, correcting and processing text
Managing the publication of something (for example, editing and publishing a magazine)
Precise verbal formulation and expression of a particular concept or thought

Below we will talk in detail specifically about the literary editing of text materials.

Literary editing

Literary editing is a multifaceted process of working on text material that is being prepared for publication. It includes an assessment of the topic, checking and correcting the presentation, checking and correcting the development of the topic, and literary processing of the text. Let's dive a little deeper and understand the details of each of the components.

Topic rating

When evaluating a topic, it is necessary to get acquainted with the text and give a general assessment of the need for its publication. Here it is necessary to take into account the specifics of the publication or web resource where the text will subsequently be published, and the compliance of the text with the task solved by the author.

Theme Development

Under the development of the topic, one should understand the establishment of how comprehensively and objectively the facts, phenomena and events are considered in the text, how logical the presentation of the material is. It is very important to determine the solidity of conclusions, conclusions, generalizations and scientific provisions, as well as to understand whether it was possible to convey not only the appearance of the phenomenon or event under consideration, but also its inner essence. If the editor is not the author, he must check all quotations, figures and facts for accuracy. As a rule, this is quite enough to form a correct idea of the truth of the scientific and factual components.

Literary processing

Literary processing involves an assessment of the structure of the material, its volume, the nature of presentation, language and style. When evaluating the text, you should always pay attention to the composition of the text and the ratio of its individual blocks; check the text for exaggerations of secondary data, repetitions, complex lexical constructions; evaluate the sequence of material, etc. You also need to match the amount of material to the chosen topic, and, if necessary, reduce it. A huge role is played by the style and language of the work: only such works that are written in precise and clear literary language can be published.

The main stage of the process of literary editing begins when all the shortcomings mentioned above are eliminated. At the first test reading, the text, as a rule, is not corrected. In the margins of sheets or files, notes are simply made on the topic of the most gross lexical, stylistic, logical and semantic errors. At the first reading, it is convenient to determine the type of subsequent editing (we will talk about the types of editing later).

At the second reading stage, you can make edits, make corrections to the composition and eliminate logical inconsistencies, as well as analyze the title - evaluate its expressiveness and relevance to the content (the more the title matches the content, the better).

Text editing is a creative job, and much of it is determined by the editor's individual style. However, such things as working on composition and text, eliminating semantic errors, checking factual material and choosing a title do not depend on individual style. The main task in the editing process is to improve the content and form of the text. And the point is to come to their unity.

Types of editing

High-quality editing will eliminate errors, achieve clarity and clarity of wording, check the factual data and eliminate inaccuracies, rid the text of the roughness of style and language. At the same time, changes should be made only if they are really needed.

Based on what changes the text undergoes during editing, four main types of editing can be distinguished:

Editing-Proofreading
Edit-cut
Editing-Processing
Edit-remake

Learn more about each type.

Editing-Proofreading

The meaning of proofreading is to compare the text with a more perfect original, identify technical errors and eliminate them. Editing-proofreading will be applied when editing:

official materials(reports, resolutions, agreements, etc.)
Works of literary classics
Editions of historical documents
Reprints of books published without revision
Definitive (finally established) materials

If documentary or definitive texts are being prepared for publication or edition, the first thing to do is to make sure that they correspond exactly to the original or previous edition.

As for corrections specifically, they are subject to typos, spelling errors, typos without a semantic load (if necessary, you can make footnotes and give comments in them). Unfinished words are also added, abbreviations are deciphered. If texts of historical works or documents come across, they are given the features of modern graphics, however, the features of the environment or era (style, phraseological units, specific expressions, etc.) present in the text remain unchanged.

Edit-cut

When editing-reducing the main task editor is a shortening of the text, but without prejudice to its content. Reduction may be necessary for several reasons:

It is necessary to meet a specific volume (number of sheets, lines or characters). To effectively compress the volume, it is useful to use abbreviations of words, terms, names. In some cases (when the volume is limited to sheets or lines), you can simply use fonts of smaller sizes.
It is necessary to correspond to certain tasks facing the author or publisher. So, it is customary to reduce the volumes when publishing popular science, journalistic and artwork, which are republished "on request" of a specific audience (children, students, non-specialists, etc.). The same technique is used in the publication of anthologies and collections (not all material is published, but the most important, interesting and useful for readers from the standpoint of the compilers).
There are shortcomings in the text, such as unnecessary details, repetitions, long lengths, lengthiness, a large number of examples or data of the same type, etc. The reduction here is a necessity, because a clearer and more rigorous compositional construction is achieved.

Editing-Processing

Editing-processing is used in editorial practice more often than other types. The editor, in this case, corrects unsuccessful phrases and words, clarifies wording and phrases, makes the construction of the work logical, adds more convincing arguments, and eliminates any signs of confusion. However, the subtlety of the author's style and style must be preserved, and if the author is not an editor, any changes must be approved. Any amendment must be scientifically and logically justified.

Edit-remake

Editing-alteration is relevant in cases where the editor is working on the work of authors who have poor command of the literary language. This type of editing is widespread in the practice of newspaper work, and is also used in the publication of articles, memoirs, brochures. As in the previous case, the author's style should be preserved.

But, while working on the elimination of errors, the editor should not only make changes, but also constantly monitor the consistency of the presentation of the material, because the main provisions put forward by the author must be logically connected, and all transitions from one part to another must be regular and consistent. For this reason, it is important to have an understanding of the logical foundations of text editing.

Logical Foundations of Text Editing

As we said, the editor is obliged to pay attention to the consistency of the presentation of the material being prepared for publication. This suggests that the main theses in the text must be proved without fail, and the evidence itself must be reliable, substantiated and beyond doubt. Of course, formal logic will not rid the text of shortcomings and errors, but you will fully contribute to the systematization of the presentation, give it credibility and eliminate contradictions.

In some cases, the editor needs to check the set of evidence available in the text, strengthen it, get rid of unnecessary arguments, and also eliminate the substitution of theses if the text does not prove what was originally intended. Simply put, the editor needs to evaluate the consistency of the logical proof. The latter should be understood as the establishment of the reliability of one judgment through the presentation of other judgments, the truth of which cannot be doubted and from which the reliability of the original judgment being verified follows.

A logical proof takes place if three conditions are met:

There is a thesis - something that needs to be proven
There are arguments - judgments that prove the thesis at the proper level (before the thesis is proved)
There is a demonstration - judgments showing how the thesis is justified by the given arguments

If at least one of these conditions is not met, the proof will be inconsistent, because it will not be clear why, how and what is being proved at all. This topic requires more detailed consideration, but taking into account the specifics of our course (after all, it is more intended for journalists than for editors), we will not delve into it, but move on to the more important part - the types of errors found in text materials.

The main mistakes when writing texts

In total, there are five main categories of mistakes made by authors when writing text materials:

Logic errors
Lexical errors
Syntax errors
Spelling mistakes

Let's see what their features are.

Logic errors

Logic errors fall into several categories. They manifest themselves in the composition of the text, unsuccessful development of the topic, argumentation, etc. The most common logical fallacies include:

Mutually exclusive concepts (when one sentence says, for example, that the sea was calm and smooth, and the waves were breaking on stones - a calm sea and breaking waves are concepts that exclude each other).
Displacement of the presentation plan (inconsistency of presentation, unnecessary repetitions of proper names, linguistic negligence, lack of important details, etc.).
Incorrect establishment of causal relationships (when the proposal says, for example, that the process of loading and unloading operations is not mechanized at the enterprise, but loaders work in harsh conditions, because mechanization issues are difficult to solve - cause and effect contradict each other).
Incorrect comparison of facts / comparison of incomparable facts (when the text says, for example, that students are excellent at picking potatoes in the field, because they strive to improve, or when, for example, the work of traffic police officers is considered only in terms of the number of accidents on the streets of the city - the given facts cannot be compared, because logically they belong to different categories).
Substitution of theses (when the text begins, for example, with a conversation about the need to improve the quality of roads on the streets of the city, and ends with assurances responsible person in the fact that additional restrictive signs will be installed in problem areas - the original thesis at the end is replaced by another one that is not directly related to the first one).
The lack of correspondence in the details of the events described (when the text, for example, says that in the northern and southern regions Russia is in full swing harvesting potatoes, cotton and cereals - each of the crops is harvested in different time, each of the cultures grows in different regions - it turns out that these details cannot be combined into one picture).

Logic errors lead to great amount semantic errors, however, there are cases when logical inconsistencies are applied by the authors on purpose. This technique is typical for parodies, pamphlets and feuilletons.

Lexical errors

Lexical errors are another common category of errors. Their main reasons are inaccurate word usage, unsuccessful use of winged words, idioms and phraseological units, language negligence and oversaturation of textual material with special vocabulary and concepts that may not be known to the general public.

Grammar and stylistic errors

Among the most common grammatical and stylistic errors are the misuse of pronouns, the unsuccessful replacement of the plural of nouns singular and vice versa, the misuse of the gender of nouns.

Syntax errors

Syntax errors are expressed in the wrong word order, violations of contiguity, agreement and control, as well as in the incorrect use of participial and adverbial phrases.

Spelling mistakes

Spelling errors consist of the wrong spelling of words. Their main feature is that they are practically not perceived by ear, but the quality of the printed text noticeably suffers. The most "popular" spelling mistakes are:

"Russifier", not "Russifier"
"Official" not "official"
"Russian", not "Russian"
"Polyclinic", not "polyclinic"
"Rossia", not "Russia"
"Download", not "download"
"Schedule" not "schedule"
"Reviews", not "Reviews"
"program" not "program"
"calculate" not "calculate"
"Do" not "do"
"Agency" not "agency"
"Thailand" not "Thailand"
"Cute" not "pretty"
"One", not "One"

Often also found misspelling the words “also” and “the same”, “why” and “for what”, “company” and “campaign”, “why” and “for what”, “in general” and “in general”, etc.

Many mistakes, whatever they are, are easy to avoid, regularly. But, of course, not everyone can be 100% literate, and therefore, when editing a text, you always need to pay special attention to it, and, if necessary, check it several times. Remember that your success and how seriously you will be taken by customers and readers depend on how correctly and competently your text is written. And as an excellent help when checking materials, you can use special programs for editing texts.

And to make the process of checking and editing text faster and easier, we will give you one more useful recommendation - build your editing work in three stages:

The first stage is a fluent - purely introductory reading, during which you evaluate the integrity of the material, its content, idea and manner of presentation.
The second stage is a slower and more in-depth reading during which you focus on all the paragraphs, sentences, words and signs. Here you analyze individual units of the text, correlate its parts with each other, work on detailing, correct all kinds of errors.
The third stage is the control reading. The text is re-read again, the uniformity of presentation, the correct spelling of the most complex elements, proper names, numerical data and dates are analyzed.

This completes the check, and if everything was done correctly and with a head, the finished material will meet all the literacy requirements. But still, we remind you once again that if there is any doubt, it is better to check the text once again, because, as they say: "measure seven times - cut once."

Now we suggest you take a break from the practice of writing various journalistic materials and editing texts, and replenish your knowledge base interesting information. In the sixth lesson, we will again touch on the theory and talk about another very popular direction in our time - advertising journalism. The lesson will consider advertising journalism as a phenomenon, the main points of contact between journalism and advertising, as well as a brief classification of advertising journalism genres. But we will not bypass the practical component - the best formulas of advertising texts will be offered to your attention.

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.

Editing is a complex and multifaceted concept. The Latin redactus literally means "put in order". In the press, on radio and television, editing is the area of social and literary activity associated with the preparation of material for publication. Often, only one side is emphasized in the definition of editing tasks - editing the text. Undoubtedly, editing is the most important process in the activity of any editor, but far from exhaustive. The main concern of the editor is a comprehensive critical analysis of the content and form of the work in order to properly evaluate and improve it. In this sense, editing has rich traditions associated with the history of Russian journalism, with the experience of classic writers, with the practice of mass media in modern society.

The task of editing is to most fully reveal the social significance of the work, achieving greater efficiency in the activities of the press, radio broadcasting, and television. The subject of editing on TV can be a wide variety of material, ranging from texts of various genres to illustrations of a video sequence. Although editing has its own characteristics in each specific case, some general patterns can be distinguished in the work on any material. Editing includes a political or socially significant aspect. Editing involves a critical approach to the material in order to eliminate the shortcomings in it. The task of the editor is to achieve the maximum effect of the impact of the material on which he is working. The editor is fully responsible for the work prepared for publication or broadcast, so his assessment can also serve as the final "verdict". And this is his difference from the critic-reviewer, who determines the merits and demerits of a work that has already seen the light, helps the viewer or reader to correctly evaluate it, gives helpful tips author for further work.

Performing an information function, media materials should be intelligible, popularly presented, because they are addressed to different segments of the population. At the same time, the problems posed must be covered in depth, without simplification, in order to activate thought. In practice, this means that the material must be consistently, logically presented, the facts presented must be verified, convincing and bright.

The work of the editor on the language of the work is at the same time the work of clarifying and improving thought. The quality of the material and the strength of its impact depend on the professional maturity and skill of the editor. The profession of an editor is one of those rare professions that simultaneously combines a critic and a language expert, a stylist and a teacher, an organizer and an artist. The editor is obliged to improve his knowledge in the area that constitutes the subject area of his activity. Specialization allows the editor to professionally understand the material and, consequently, to find the greatest opportunities to improve its effectiveness.

It must be remembered that, with all its diversity, the work of an editor is mainly literary. An editor can only be a person who is comprehensively educated, who knows the laws of logical thinking, who knows the rules literary language. Editorial evaluation is a view of the work from the outside, pursuing definite purpose: reconcile the work of the author with the scale of truth. Therefore, those who put an equal sign between the editor and the censor and under this pretext do not want to accept comments are wrong.

The editor is an interested person, and no less than the author. Often yielding to the author in knowledge of specific material, the editor has (should have) a broader understanding of social value and the relevance of the work and at the same time an objective, impartial judgment about it.

The editor must know the entire production and technological process associated with the preparation and release of a book, newspaper, radio or television program. Knowledge of the basics of printing or the technical capabilities of radio and television will help him to correctly use expressive means that will enhance the impact of the work.

Editing is a creative process, it is largely determined by the individual characteristics and tastes of the editor. Nevertheless, a common editing technique has developed in practice. We are talking about a system of the most common and rational methods used in a certain sequence. Preparatory stage

The beginning of editorial activity is considered to be the preparatory stage. It can be described as organizational and creative. It includes: determination of the thematic focus corresponding to the profile of the publishing house, TV channel, radio station; headings, projects, as well as the choice of the author and work with him to clarify and correct the assignment.

The choice of topic is determined by the social significance, relevance, timeliness of its coverage.

At the same stage (taking into account the specifics of the press, radio, television) expressive means are chosen, with the help of which the project or program will receive the most productive and expedient implementation. Participating in solving common problems (for example, in an election campaign), various media should interact effectively, and not duplicate each other.

The editor must be well informed and, taking into account changes in the life of society (political, economic, social), be "flexible" in his work.

When preparing new projects, in addition to the applications and proposals of journalists, it is necessary to take into account the wishes of specialists, the opinions of readers, viewers, listeners, and the results of ratings.

Media change along with life itself. This is especially noticeable on audiovisual stations and channels broadcasting to millions of people. Dialogue, interactive techniques widely used on TV and RV, "digit", a new "window" to the world - the Internet make it possible to quickly deliver information to almost every person, influence his consciousness, form a way of thinking. But despite all the technical achievements, the old "means of delivery" of new information remain the main ones: the word in the press; word and sound on the radio; word, sound and image on television. And it is very important that freedom of speech does not turn into permissiveness, so that in the pursuit of an original solution, for a form, established norms - linguistic, ethical, moral - are not violated.

Unfortunately, one often sees how a talented journalist, going to the microphone, commenting on events or editing material, does not realize his potential - someone lacks reasoning, someone is let down by inaccuracy of thought. Here big role can (and should) play an editor.

And, finally, at the stage of preparing this or that material, it is very important to choose the genre and form of its presentation, so that only "talking heads" or standard talk shows do not flash on all channels. The author's asset, as a rule, consists of professional journalists and specialists in various fields. The work of an editor has its own characteristics depending on who the author is. A constant writer, for example, a correspondent, does not need recommendations. A newcomer should be encouraged to make a creative proposal or submit an extended project plan. By the way he approaches the solution of the topic, the choice of artistic and expressive means, genre, one can get a certain idea of \u200b\u200bhis capabilities.

When ordering an article, the text of a radio program, a television script, the editor must accurately determine the task, discuss in detail with the author the topic, its interpretation, the main arguments, and possible pictorial or illustrative material. This will facilitate subsequent work not only for the author, but also for the editor himself.

Most often, the author submits a creative application on his own initiative. In it, he reveals in an optimal form for himself the issues that will be reflected in the future work. The application is evidence of the author's deep interest in working on the chosen topic. If the application does not give a complete picture of the future work, the editor invites the author to draw up a detailed scenario plan, in this case the initiative comes from the editorial board. The plan must precisely formulate the topic, purpose of the work, name or present illustrative material, indicate the sequence of presentation of the material.

After the application is approved, there is a period of active cooperation between the author and the editor. The most difficult questions, sources, filming locations, their participants are specified, the the best option arrangement of the material (montage) in terms of the most complete disclosure of the topic. If necessary, the editor helps the author to contact archives, libraries and other organizations to obtain the required materials. At this time, the editor looks through separate parts (fragments) of the literary material.

We can draw a general conclusion: preliminary work with the author is, first of all, his orientation in what he has to do. The preparatory period ends for the editor with the receipt of the manuscript from the author. The most crucial moment in the work of the editor comes - his own editing. In this creative process, two sides can be conditionally distinguished: work on content (scientific editing) and work on composition, language and style (literary editing). On television and radio, literary editing should be carried out taking into account their specifics (screen, on-air sound).

Editorial analysis and text editing

Work on the text is carried out in a certain sequence: first, editorial analysis, then the practical implementation of its results.

Editorial analysis is the study of a work (transmission) and its comprehensive characterization, which allow determining the true value of the material. Editorial analysis is criticism addressed primarily to the author (since the work has not yet been published or has not been on the air), its goal is to identify the shortcomings in the material, and ultimately multiply the merits of the work, improve it, taking into account the specifics of printing, the capabilities of television - or broadcasting.

At the initial stage, the editor acts as a critic, as a reviewer. Always remembering that his criticism is aimed at improving the work, he is fully responsible for all comments made. Here he needs a breadth of views, an understanding of the main and essential in the work given to him for judgment. His judgments must be accurate, conclusive, free from any kind of subjectivity, taste.

The editor must proceed from the fact that the author, even if he is not a professional and does not have literary experience, has thoroughly studied the topic, thought out the way of presenting the material, and felt what was written. It is impossible not to warn the editor against imposing his point of view on the author, from unceremonious interference in the content and style of the work. The conflict between the editor and the author is excluded when they understand each other, when the author is aware of the reasonableness and solidity of the editor's remarks, and the editor is able to substantiate them tactfully. However, a respectful attitude towards the author does not mean a reduction in exactingness to the material, a lack of integrity in its assessment. The merit of a work is the only criterion by which an editor can judge whether it will see the light of day.

In practical editing, that is, the concrete embodiment of the results of editorial analysis, the editing system developed by experience is usually used. A prominent specialist in literary editing, Professor K.I. Bylinsky identified four main types:

proofreading;
- editing-reduction;
- editing-processing;
- editing-alteration.

The editor must be well aware of the purpose of each edit. Editing-proofreading is the easiest for the editor. Its purpose is to eliminate minor errors in the text.

If the material is stretched, cluttered with unnecessary details, repetitions, editing-reduction is used. Its task is to achieve clarity and possible brevity in the presentation.

Editing-processing includes the whole range of actions of the editor: improving the composition, checking the actual data, improving the language and style. This type of editing is used most often.

Editing-alteration is usually used if the author has valuable specialized knowledge, but does not have the skills of literary work.

The editor must determine for himself the boundaries of corrections and strive to limit himself to the inevitable substitutions, abbreviations, insertions. The meaning of editing is not to impose on the author his own style and manner of writing, his principles and concepts, but to comprehend the general position of the author, form his own opinion about the work, and achieve its maximum improvement. "True taste," wrote A.S. Pushkin, "consists not in an unconscious rejection of such and such a turnover, but in a sense of proportion and conformity."

When working on the text, the editor must strictly adhere to the rule: correct everything in the manuscript that needs to be corrected, but try to do it by the author's hand, convincing him of the need for editing. it The best way preserve the individuality, originality, originality of the work.

In practice, unfortunately, there are cases when, to speed things up or for other reasons, the editor himself rewrites the material for the author. Such "correction" of the text leads to the fact that in the newspaper, on radio or television, standard materials made according to one model multiply.

If necessary, the editor can recommend the co-authorship of an experienced journalist to a specialist author. This form is called literary notation. On radio and television, in such cases, it is advisable to use the interview method, which allows the journalist to provide assistance and support to the specialist. Both of these methods help to avoid the template, while the documentary nature of the speech is not violated.

On TV great importance has a preliminary work of the editor with the author speaking in the frame.

Already in the process of analyzing the material, the editor, taking care of the correspondence of the content to the topic, the semantic sequence of the presentation, the proportionality of the parts, the permissible deviations from the chronology, outlines the necessary changes in its composition. AT further work we can conditionally single out the following points: verification of the factual material, literary editing of the text, choice of title (name of the program, program).

All amendments to the manuscript must be agreed with the author.

Work on the composition

When working on a composition, the editor is guided by the rule of proportionality, determining whether the given material corresponds to the theme, is wider or narrower than it. The reason for the first is most often the inclusion in the text of materials related to the topic or many examples, and the second is the lack of material, insufficient general development of the topic. When working on a composition, the editor solves three problems. Firstly, it achieves such an arrangement of the material in which the topic is covered most fully. Secondly, it strives for the logical alignment of the material, in which one semantic part receives a natural continuation in another - the principle of systematic presentation of facts and information is maintained throughout the work. The third task is connected with the search for a structure that would allow achieving the maximum emotional and artistic impact on the audience. The editor must remember that the nature and arrangement of the material depend on the form of the work. In information and journalistic genres the composition is determined primarily by the logic of the development of the theme. In artistic forms, the laws of plot development govern the composition. When building the material, one should take into account its targeted orientation, the audience: it can be adults, children, the elderly.

Checking the actual material

The factual material forms the basis of the author's concept and largely determines the persuasiveness of the work, its expressiveness and accessibility. It is impossible not to recall the advice of A.M. Gorky to novice writers: "ideas are created on earth ... the material for them is observation, comparison, study - in the end: facts, facts!" (Gorky M. Collected works in 30 volumes. T. 3. S. 325).

Starting editing the material, it is necessary to determine how true the principle of selection of facts is, whether they are taken as a whole, in their connection. It is also necessary to evaluate the correctness of the choice of facts in terms of scientificity, accuracy, etc. It is known that any unreliability or inaccuracy devalues the work, undermines its credibility.

Practice has developed a number of expedient, reliable methods for verifying factual material. One of the most common is intratext correlation, a combination of methods of verification, counting, etc. You can also name the clarification of terms, especially translated ones, verification of sources, citations. Great care must be taken in handling numbers, especially on radio and television. As a rule, a large number of numbers overloads the text, making it difficult to digest. It is worth leaving only data that characterizes not particulars, but general trends and patterns.

It is also the responsibility of the editor to check the correct and appropriate use of citations. Quite often, quoting is resorted to without special need, moreover, in the quotation they repeat the thought expressed earlier. The quotation is often cut off arbitrarily - where the words end, which are consistent with the quoting position. It happens that a thought expressed on one occasion is cited referring to another, or a quotation associated with a specific fact, with a specific situation, era, is offered as a universal one. And, finally, the quoted words are simply taken out of context, distorting their meaning. Therefore, it is important for the editor not only to check the quote, but also to analyze the context. A quote is good when it contains a logically complete thought, expressed in a concise form. Omitting one or more words is permissible only if this does not distort the meaning of the source. Literary text processing

Literary processing of the material is carried out during the entire editing process.

The language and style of mass media are determined by the role they play in society. These should be truthful, simple and clear expressions, designed for the general population, with specific and understandable formulations.

The editor usually begins literary editing by determining the general task of the work, its genre, stylistic features. The main techniques he uses are: replacing an unsuccessful or inaccurate phrase; checking the agreement of the members of the sentence, especially if the agreed words are removed from each other; correlation of the control word with each of the controlled ones; simplification of complex syntactic constructions; elimination of verbosity, clerical turns and stamps, repetitions, etc.

When making stylistic corrections, the editor must reasonably use the rules and recommendations of normative stylistics. The living connection of the literary language with the figurative structure of folk speech enriches and spiritualizes it. The artistic word evokes countless associations, ideas and does not always obey the norms and requirements of grammar. However, the means of expressiveness, figurativeness of the language should be used differentially, depending on the genre, purpose and purpose of the work. Analyzing the text, the editor must distinguish illiterate or incorrect turns from unusual, but quite acceptable, inherent in this author. Smooth and aligned phrases "slide" over the surface without affecting the mind and feelings of the audience.

A.M. Gorky advised young writers: we must learn "the economy and accuracy of the language, liberation, purification of it from unsuccessful provincialisms, local sayings, as well as verbal tricks composed by young people from motives, should be" aesthetic "... The accuracy and conciseness of the language, this is - first of all, and only under this condition, it is possible to create a convex, almost physically tangible image "(Gorky M.T. 3. S. 269-270). These requirements are also the norm for editors working in electronic media where oral speech is used. Speech perceived by ear has more barriers to accurate, adequate perception.

Thus, the maximum semantic accuracy of the language and the penetration into the features of the individual style of the author are two sides of the same process called literary editing.

Name choice

Since the title necessary element literary work, which is organically connected with the text, the editor takes part in its selection and refinement together with the author. Expressing the content and idea of the work, the title is able to attract or leave readers or viewers indifferent to the topic. Accuracy and simplicity, brevity and originality play an important role in this choice. The title should convey the problematics, the idea of the work as accurately as possible, that is, correspond to its internal content.

At the same time, the title to a large extent advertises the work and attracts the audience. It is important to comply with a number of requirements, the fulfillment of which helps to strengthen the service functions of the title. All words included in it must carry a semantic load, unambiguously express the content of concepts. Experience has shown that the use of the title complex structures undesirable - significant words in them, as a rule, are removed from each other, and this weakens their semantic connection.

In the practice of television and radio, the editor often has to deal with programs that include episodes of different genres (information programs, "Itogi", the radio program "Reflection", etc.). Such materials usually go without a title, the presenter indicates only the genre and the name of the author or correspondent. But even in this case, it is advisable for the author and editor to give each material a "service heading". This will help to more accurately organize a small plot, clarify and limit the topic.

So, editing in the proper sense of the word is completed. At the next stage, many services involved in the publication of a book, newspaper or magazine article, in preparation for the broadcast of a television or radio program are included in the work. The production stage is specific and depends on the characteristics technological process in various types of media.

conclusions

Editing is a comprehensive critical analysis of the content and form of a work in order to properly evaluate and improve it.

Editing helps to achieve high professionalism in print, radio and television materials.

The level of general culture, specialization, literary experience, artistic taste are the necessary requirements for the editor.

The general editing technique is a system of the most common techniques used in a certain sequence: preparatory stage, editorial, production.

The editor can start editing the text only after a detailed acquaintance with it. He is obliged to observe the limits of permissible interference in the author's material, striving to preserve the author's individuality. The editor is obliged to coordinate all editing with the author.

Every day we read various texts - articles in newspapers and magazines, small notes, textbooks, manuals, books, documents. All this, after writing, is not immediately published or goes to print. Creation, editing - the stages of the appearance of the finished text. What is meant by the last term? What types of editing exist and what is their essence?

Concept of editing

"Editing" came from Latin. There is such a word as redactus in it. Its meaning is "put in order". In Russian, "editing" refers to multidimensional concepts. It has several meanings:

Editing is primarily called the correction of the written text, the elimination of spelling, punctuation, stylistic errors. Also, this word is understood as a change in the design of the document (change of font, indents and other technical parameters of the text, division into columns).
There is another definition. Editing is a kind of professional activity. The media have editors who are preparing for the publication of printed publications.

Types of editing and their definitions

Editing can be divided into 2 types. These are general, also called universal, and special. The first type of editing is understood as a complete system of the editor's work on the text. In the course of the correction, the written is improved, spelling and repetition of words are eliminated.

Special editing is the work on the text from any special side, for the evaluation and analysis of which there is not enough general knowledge. This work can be done by editors who are deep specialists in a particular field of knowledge to which the corrected text or document belongs. Special editing has a classification. It is subdivided into:

literary;
scientific;
artistic and technical.

Literary editing

Literary editing is a process in which the literary form of the text or work being checked is analyzed, evaluated and improved. The editor does the following:

corrects lexical errors;
brings the style of the text to perfection;
eliminates logical errors, improves the form of the text (breaks into paragraphs, chapters or combines fragments);
shortens the text while maintaining the semantic content;
checks the factual material (dates, names, citations, statistical values).

Scientific editing

A huge number of books and articles have been written on certain scientific topics (for example, on medical ones). Often the authors are not specialists. Reputable publishing houses use the services of scientific editors. These people check the text from the scientific side, eliminate any inaccuracies, remove irrelevant and false information.

It should be noted that the names of scientific editors in books and journals are indicated on the title page in accordance with the requirements of publishing standards. The note that a scientific editor was involved in the project serves as a guarantee of the high quality of the text, the veracity of the information presented.

Artistic and technical editing

Artistic editing in reputable publishing houses is performed by art editors. They are engaged in the design of the cover and the entire magazine, newspaper or book, the selection of images and color schemes. Thus, artistic editing is a process in which the design of the publication is developed, sketches, layouts, illustrations are created, analyzed and evaluated from an artistic and printing point of view.

There is also such a thing as technical editing. In the course of it, the technical parameters of typing and its layout are corrected, if necessary, fonts, their sizes, indents, line spacing are changed, numbered and for ease of perception of information are added.

Modern editing capabilities

Almost all modern people can no longer imagine their lives without computers. This technique is available both in housing and in educational institutions and in various organizations and companies. With the help of computers, a variety of texts are created: articles, abstracts, diplomas and documents. A huge number of programs have been developed that have opened up wide possibilities for editing.

One of the famous computer programs is Microsoft Word. With it, you can not only type text, but also edit files, arrange them properly:

remove spelling and (in the text they are underlined by default with red and green wavy lines);
change the size of the margins, select the appropriate page settings (portrait or landscape orientation);
add various underlines, highlight text in right places different colors, quickly insert markers and numbering;
divide the text into columns, insert tables, charts, graphs, images, add footnotes, hyperlinks.

Quite often, in the process of work, users are faced with the need to edit. This format is common and popular. Special programs have been created to edit such files. They allow users to delete unnecessary pages, highlight important points bright color, move text and graphic blocks. Editing "pdf" with the help of programs is very easy, because their interface is intuitive. All the necessary tools are displayed in the programs on the panels.

In conclusion, it should be noted that editing is an important process of preparing texts. It can be carried out using various computer programs. They provide users with a wide range of options. With the help of them, plain text without formatting can be turned into a properly designed business report or into a bright advertisement that attracts a resume.

Let's consider the organization of the editing process and try to highlight the stages, content and sequence of the editor's work on the original. It should be remembered that such a division is rather conditional. The sequence considered in each case will depend on several factors:

the type and complexity of the original,

measures of preparedness

editor's experience

organization of the publishing process in a particular edition or publishing house.

Editing steps:

1) first, through, reading;

3) work on the structure (composition);

4) definition of a single style of text presentation;

5) work with the auxiliary and service parts of the publication;

6) work on headings;

7) editorial editing (using different types editing).

Let's briefly review each of these stages.

1) First, through reading

On the preparatory stage editorial and publishing process (this was discussed in the previous lesson), the editor in general terms could already form the first impression of the original, which he will need to prepare for printing. But before taking up a pen (or starting to edit on a computer screen), he must read the entire work fluently.

Practice confirms that novice editors often ignore this stage and undertake to edit the text immediately after reading the first paragraph. Over time, it may turn out that it was not necessary to spend time on this, since the entire edited part, in conjunction with other components of the text, will need to be reduced, or radically revised, or transferred to another place in the original. And the editor can come to such a conclusion only after he reads the entire work, evaluates it, and determines its strengths and weaknesses.

The method of the first reading may be different. It depends primarily on the experience of the editor. Experienced "sharks of the pen" have developed their own criteria for such reading: first, they pay attention to the content and structure of the work; further - a cursory review of most pages, selective reading of individual paragraphs in different parts of the original, finding out the eclecticism of the presentation of the text, repetitions, the number of logical, semantic or linguistic errors, etc. For beginners, this stage of work can stretch over time. But practice shows that this should not save time.

After the first reading, the author's shortcomings become apparent. First of all, this concerns the completeness of the original, i.e. the presence of all constituent parts. Not made references to sections, unfinished individual paragraphs, incomplete illustrations, incomplete tables or diagrams - all this can become a serious obstacle to the work of the editor, compliance with the approved deadlines for the passage of the original at all stages of the editorial and publishing process.

Therefore, at this stage of editing, it is necessary to clarify, together with the author, the composition of the submitted original, identify the missing components, and make a decision: either postpone the work, or start editing, agreeing with the author on the deadlines for eliminating imperfections.

3) Work on the structure (composition) of the original

This is a crucial stage, on the implementation of which the quality of the content of the future edition will depend. First of all, we are talking about the structural organization of the entire text, the logical interconnection of all its parts, regardless of whether it is a journalistic work or a book edition. Of course, the book requires more attention from the editor.

An experienced and not indifferent editor, having received from the author a generally readable, but carefully unstructured original, will do a good job of making the future edition convenient for the reader to use. Especially when it comes to a textbook, manual, popular science publication or monograph. Of course, the structure of the publication will benefit when individual sections are divided into paragraphs, and those, in turn, into subparagraphs, but only an experienced editor can tell you how to correctly structure the publication in order to maintain the overall structure of the presentation and its proportionality.

Again, only the editor will be able to tell the author what is missing in this original. For example, there are not enough control questions and tasks after each topic; or the book will benefit from the fact that it will be presented opening speech well-known expert on this issue; or the illustrated material should be diversified, and not just portraits; or to the alphabetical index, one should also add a subject and a geographical one. And this series of editorial proposals for improving the structure of the publication can be continued.

4) Definition of a single style of text presentation

Adhering to the general requirements of preparation for the newspaper, magazine and book market of printed products (broadcasting of radio and television programs), each editorial office or publishing house may have its own own style presentation of texts or programs. We are talking in particular about the forms of placement of the main, service or auxiliary texts, content, highlighting headings, completeness of the description of bibliographic references. There are a number of features in the presentation of some of the components of the text. So, for example, in a set of surnames, a number of publishing houses profess the European style - only the full name and surname, others adhere to the old approach - either the use of initials, or the full spelling of names, patronymics and surnames. The same applies to numbers, especially in the names of centuries, years, as well as geographical names. The same criteria should be followed in the abbreviated spelling of individual words.

5) Working with the publishing apparatus

Availability and completeness in the future of the original layout of the auxiliary part of the publication (appendices, bibliographic descriptions, indexes, dictionaries, page footnotes, contents) also depends on the editor, his close cooperation with the author. These components of the text, as a rule, are edited after the completion of work on the main part of the original. But they can be in operation and in parallel. The same applies to the official part of the publication (title, extended title, columns, footers).

When processing the text of the main part, the editor must always remember that any changes made here should automatically be reflected in the service or auxiliary part. First of all, it concerns the content, the inscriptions on the headers and footers.

6) Work on headings

Many experienced editors can say without exaggeration that choosing the exact headline for a piece of journalism, or selecting and editing a whole set of headlines, is one of the most difficult steps in editing.

The greatest work on headings awaits the editor in a book, well-structured, edition. Because the names here are given to all subsections of the book (chapters, sections, paragraphs, etc.), and to all structural parts of the headings (auxiliary indexes, tables, illustrations, etc.). Headings perform several important functions in the text:

facilitate the work of the reader with the publication;

organize the reading process;

enable the reader to work meaningfully with the individual parts of the publication;

prepare the reader for the perception of a new, relatively complete, whole work;

provide convenience in the search for selective information;

* provide an opportunity to learn the material more deeply.

In addition to the fact that the editor has to constantly keep the entire heading complex in sight, during editing he must also know the subordination of heading types and the features of their arrangement both on the page (column) and in relation to the text.

Editorial processing of headings is necessary not only to determine their hierarchy in the main part of the publication, but also to indicate their graphic reproduction on pages (or columns).

The main task of the editor at this stage is to achieve optimal correspondence of headings to the content of text fragments.

7) Editorial editing (using different types of editing)

Editorial editing is the last component of the editing stage, but not the last in terms of the severity of the work of the editor.

The editor begins to carry out the necessary corrections in the text after the first through reading. The essence of editing is that individual words, sentences, and even fragments of text, the editor can perform the following operations:

removal;

permutation;

abbreviations;

processing.

The main tasks of such editing are the elimination of inaccuracies, repetitions, the achievement of clarity of wording, logical presentation, linguistic and stylistic literacy.

During the revision phase, the editor must also keep in mind some publishing ethics rules that have been developed from the experience of many predecessors.

Let's highlight the main ones.

1. Avoid taste fixes. This is especially true for linguistic and stylistic corrections. While worrying about the simplicity and accessibility of the perception of the text, one should, however, take into account the peculiarities of the language and style of the author himself. When spelling requirements permit variability of words or phrases, the author's expressions should still be left, and not the version that the editor likes.

In Soviet times, there was a practice in some state publishing houses when the quality of the editor's work was determined by the number of corrections made to the author's original. The editor who processed the text the most was considered the best. Now that the publisher-author relationship has changed, this practice is considered unacceptable.

2. When processing entire fragments of the original, do not deviate from the copyright language tools. It is advisable to immediately compare the corrected part with the previous and subsequent fragments of the author's text, if only the logic and motivation of the story can be traced.

Any corrections made during editing must be agreed with the author. It is necessary to avoid categorical judgments justifying the need for corrections. Throughout the entire period of work with the author, you need to maintain a respectful relationship.

Bazanova A.E.

B 17 Literary editing: Proc. allowance. - Part I. - M .: Publishing House of RUDN University, 2006. - 105 p.

ISBN 5-209-01880-6

The first part of the manual outlines the basics of literary editing methodology, pays attention to the features of the editor's work. The manual includes a program and additional materials on literary editing.

For students and graduate students of the humanities, university professors, researchers, as well as for a wide range of readers who want to get acquainted with the techniques and skills of editing a manuscript.

Foreword 4

DEFINITION, SUBJECT AND OBJECTIVES OF LITERARY EDITING………………………………………………… 6

HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF LITERARY EDITING………………………… 8

THE ROLE OF THE EDITOR IN THE PUBLISHING PROCESSE………........ 11

GENERAL EDITING TECHNIQUE……………………… 14

Characteristics of the publishing process and its stages 14

Logical Foundations text editing 17

Text editing. Types of editing…………………………………… 24

The work of the editor on the composition of the work…………… 32

Types of texts. Editing texts in various ways

statements……………………………………………………………. 40

Work on the actual material of the manuscript 49

Work on the title of the manuscript 57

Work on the apparatus of book 58

Working on the language and style of the manuscript 63

LITERATURE 70

Applications

Attachment 1.

The program of the course "Literary Editing" for journalism students of the III year of the 6th semester 73

Questions for the Literary Editing Exam 80

Approximate subjects of bachelor's and master's works 82

Appendix 2

M. Gorky. Letters to young writers 83

Definition, subject and tasks of literary editing

The term "editing" comes from the Latin "redactus", which means "put in order", and in modern Russian has three main meanings:

1) managing the publication of something;

2) verification and correction of any text, its final processing before publication;

3) exact verbal expression, formulation of any thought, concept.

At present, the first meaning has firmly entered the practice of editorial work as the responsibility of the editor-in-chief, the content of the second and third meanings reflects various aspects of editing. The second meaning represents the area of editing that concerns social literary work related to the activities of the media. The third is a part of the scientific and literary work that each author is engaged in, regardless of the field of creative activity (scientific, journalistic, artistic) he is engaged in.

Thus, it can be said that editing is currently an area of social activity and literary and creative practice, which includes all aspects of the work on the manuscript, that is, it is a single creative process that includes evaluation of the topic, verification and correction of its presentation in the manuscript from the point of view of social and factual (scientific , technical, special), checking the development of the topic and literary processing of the text.

Editing as new humanitarian discipline has been developing since the 1950s and is mainly of a practical nature. The impetus for the development of the theory of editing was the requirements of practical publishing (after the revolution, newspaper and publishing began to develop rapidly in Russia, there were not enough qualified workers and there was a need for specially trained editorial staff).

Usually in editing formally allocate three aspect - political, scientific and literary editing. editorial work on content manuscripts can be named political and scientific editing. The work of the editor form manuscripts (its composition, language and style) - literary editing. All three aspects of editing in accordance with the laws of philosophy are inextricably linked - this follows from the unity of the categories of content and form.

Political and scientific editing require a certain amount of knowledge, which students receive during the study of socio-economic disciplines and disciplines in their specialty. Literary editing involves some specific knowledge and skills (editing marks, editorial reading techniques, types of editing, etc.), therefore, specifically for educational purposes, it is separated from the other two components of editing and is studied as a special journalistic discipline. Sometimes this is also done in a purely practical purposes for the training of editors, literary workers, proofreaders.

Subject of literary editing as an academic discipline - the study of the activities of a literary editor of a publishing house or literary worker in the media during his work on the manuscript.

Tasks of literary editing - to teach the future journalist the ability to achieve the greatest correspondence between the form and content of the work, the accuracy of the use of factual material, the improvement of compositional construction, logical clarity, competent lexical and statistical design of both one's own and someone else's work.