The Critique
Decoding Editor Comments
Editor Comment:
"This sounds a bit colloquial for a white paper."
Translation: It's too informal.
Fix: Change "get rid of" to "eliminate" or "remove".
Fix: Change "get rid of" to "eliminate" or "remove".
Editor Comment:
"This sentence is unwieldy / clunky."
Translation: It's too long and hard to read.
Fix: Break it into two sentences or remove passive voice.
Fix: Break it into two sentences or remove passive voice.
The Author's Power
Term: STET
Definition: Latin for "let it stand."
Usage: Use this when you disagree with an edit and want to keep your original text (e.g., for stylistic reasons or voice).
Usage: Use this when you disagree with an edit and want to keep your original text (e.g., for stylistic reasons or voice).
Accept or Reject? ✅❌
You are the author. Decide.
Context: Academic Essay
Original: "The results were pretty amazing."
significant
significant
Editor: "Too informal."
Context: Personal Novel (Dialogue)
Original: "She said, 'Ain't nobody got time for that.'"
"Nobody has time..."
"Nobody has time..."
Editor: "Grammar error."
Editor's Lingo 🗣️
What do they mean?
1. "Tighten this paragraph."
2. "This lacks flow / transition."
3. "Ambiguous antecedent."
Mission 📝
Revise the Text.
The Rough Draft:
"The company, which was founded in 1990 by a group of engineers who were very smart, decided to pivot."
Editor Comment:
"Too wordy. Tighten the relative clauses."
Try: "Founded in 1990 by brilliant engineers, the company decided to pivot."