Purposeful Editing

Roxy Writer here, coming to you from the Stone Writing Center @ Del Mar College.

Punctuation, believe it or not, has a purpose. Punctuation clarifies meaning in written works, and there is a set logic to punctuation. Two analogies come to mind.

The first is that punctuation is like street signs that indicate where to stop or start, whether there is a turn in the road or a dead end. The analogy doesn’t follow absolutely perfectly, but any driver in the middle of a traffic jam near the malls in December can tell when to stop at a red light and when he wishes the rest of the traffic would go as soon as the light turns green.

Punctuation can also be considered analogous to the language of math. A mathematician sets up equations using symbols that govern what the equation can and cannot do and what the equation proves or disproves ultimately. Punctuation marks are symbols that direct the meaning of a sentence in a like manner.

The best way to make writing enjoyable is to learn punctuation rules by listening carefully to explanations, searching the web for information, or by simple rote. Sometimes just reading and re-reading a rule makes the aha! moment come. When that happens, you own the rule.

What does this have to do with editing? If a comma is misplaced in a sentence, the meaning of the sentence can be changed. That writer winds up saying something other than what he intended. If Fred writes, “I want to eat dog,” the meaning is totally different from ‘I want to eat, Dog.” Two forms of punctuation are changed. A comma before “dog” leads the reader to know that a noun of address is coming, and the capital letter then confirms it. He doesn’t want to eat a canine. He is telling someone named Dog that he wants to eat. Since editing involves revision of meaning, what is said and how it is said, the tools ( ! ? : ; “ , ‘ , - !) of punctuation are of major importance in saying exactly what is planned in thought before writing.

There are, however, other elements to editing: grammar, spelling, word choice, etc. An additional analogy comes to mind, that of a house in which the nails and nuts and bolts are punctuation, holding the structure together. If the analogy is extended, diction (choice of words) becomes the furniture, wallpaper or paint; syntax (how words are used) becomes the placement, arrangement of the furniture, color of the walls, and such. Rhetoric (the overall tone and style of the paper) becomes how the house looks and feels when the building is complete, the total decor.

When you have constructed your paper, it is a wise decision to read it aloud, either to yourself or with a trusted friend or family member present to offer criticism. Altogether, the end of all these analogies would - finally - be like driving past the mall with a mathematician ( professor) to tour your new house (essay) in its polished, perfect condition (final draft).

Roxy’s tip: Edit your papers carefully, Dog!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!