top of page
Jane Ripps
Managing Editor, ODYSSEY Media Group
editing
After being an editor for nearly three years, I have grown to recognize that helping a struggling story requires understanding, patience and problem-solving. Something so unique about a high school publication is that every single staffer and editor has different challenges and skills, meaning I have recognized that coaching each story to the finish line requires adaptability for each person.
When I was a section editor I would spend more direct time walking my staffers through the process. Now, as the Managing Editor, I edit every single story that goes into each magazine. However, even though my position may change, my approach to editing has only grown stronger and more solution-oriented.
my editing process
Every story, whether news brief or long feature, should have life in them. Readers should be able to envision the stakeholders talking, and recognize the message the author is trying to share. Because of this, I like to spend the majority of my time editing working face to face with my staffers so we can talk through changes. So, even though it is step 5, conferencing is sprinkled in throughout the process, because each story is different and requires a flexible process.
1
Find the purpose
2
Leave copy edits
Before I leave any marks on a story, I read it through and make sure I know the purpose and message the author is trying to convey. To do this, I pay close attention to the deck, which is essentially the angle of the story. This way, I know what to look for in the structure and quotes.
After reading through and recognizing the purpose, I like to clean up the piece and leave small AP style edits. By getting these out of the way, this leaves a clean story for me to look at and really break down without tiny grammatical errors taking away my attention.
3
Structure and flow
4
Writing style
Now that I know the purpose and have cleaned up the minor mistakes, this is when I focus on the structure of the piece. I use the lead to really guide my thinking, because each quote and transition should seamlessly blend together from the introduction. This is when I will offer suggestions on the organization of quotes, and leave comments on transitions to better connect ideas.
I focus on writing style last, afterthe writer and I have organized and cleaned up the story. I find this the most effective because once we have strong bones, then we can add personality and life to the piece. Especially for Variety, I try to tell a story throughout my writing. I tell my staffers to be dramatic and expressive through their diction and tone to keep readers engaged and interested.
5
Conference
The most important step is the conference. Although this is technically the last step, I like to conference following the copy edits so my staffer and I can talk through the structure and writing together. This way, I can throughly explain my edits and my staffer can grow as a writer.
editorial editing
Editorials are so unique, and I believe that if someone can master an editorial, they can master using their voice in any form of writing. This is what will set them apart from other writers in the long run. When I edit editorials, I look for VOICE, because if I'm reading an editorial, I'm reading someone's thoughts and opinions.
When I was Viewpoints Editor, I was editing multiple opinion editorials weekly. This is the process I began to follow as I would look through each story. In each story I edited, I always worked to keep the voice of the reader, because the most important part of an op-ed is being able to hear the writer's voice and argument.
revisiting old work
This was the first opinion editorial I have ever written. I wrote it in the Spring of my freshman year on staff, and so I thought it would be fun to edit it. I have definitely grown as a writer and found my voice/style, but I still love this op-ed. Overall, the main thing I would change would be interviewing. I wish I interviewed a female athlete at my school to support my claim.
bottom of page