An editor's job is to improve the clarity, accuracy, and effectiveness of the written word. It's not an easy job, especially when you are a one person staff and editing your own work. But in one of the newest books on the subject, Writing with Precision, author Jefferson D. Bates offers some pointers for the lonely editor. 

In editing your own work, it's best to put some distance between you and your creation, says Mr. Bates. Put your copy away for awhile - at least three days - before you try to edit. You'll find you are much more objective and more critical after "this cooling off" period. 

Read all the way through before you make any editorial changes. Make sure the six basic elements are there: who, what, where, when, why, and how. On the second reading, edit for precision, accuracy, and clarity. 

Boil down sentences. Use one word to replace several words or phrases. Cut our extras and avoid redundancy. Keep average sentences under 20 words. 

Reread the manuscript one last time, aloud. Check for the logic, diction, readability. Put yourself in the reader's shoes to see if everything is completely clear. 

Mr. Bates' book itself is a model of dear, clean and lean writing. In a teach yourself format complete with exercises, he explains the basics of good writing. While the book may be basic for the seasoned editor, his ten principles for improving clarity and precision are worth repeating: 

1. Prefer the active voice. 
2. Don't make nouns out of good, strong, working verbs. 
3. Be concise. Cut out unnecessary words. 
4. Be specific. Use concrete terms, not generalizations. 
5. Keep related sentence elements together. Place modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify. 
6. Avoid unnecessary shifts in subjects, number, tense, voice, or point of view. 
7. Prefer the simple word to the farfetched, the right word to the almost right. 
8. Don't repeat words, phrases, or ideas needlessly. But if repetition is needed for clarity, don't hesitate to clarify the point. 
9. Use parallelism whenever you are expressing similar thoughts. 
10. Arrange material logically. Begin with the simple ideas and then work into the more complex. Take one step at a time. 

More Tips for Better Editing : 

1. Editing is the key. Look at every word with a critical eye. Is the spelling correct? Is the style consistent? Is the grammar correct? Carelessness casts suspicion on the author's con cl us ions. 

2. Edit as if every word costs you a dollar. For example, use "because" instead of "for the reason that... ~ It's more readable. 

3. Use simple, direct words whenever possible: "meet" instead of "encounter" "buy" instead of "purchase" "so ~ instead of "accordingly, consequently, he or thus." 

4. Watch the placement of words and phrases within a sentence. Because of incorrect placement of phrases, the scene of the crime reported in this newspaper article was moved to the courtroom: "A 14-year-old babysitter testified she saw Mrs. Smith beat to death Nancy Potts in the sixth day of Mrs. Smith's murder trial." 

5. Read and write headlines carefully. They don't always say what you want them to: "Farmer Bill Dies in House," "Do-It-Yourself Pregnancy Kit to Go on Sale."