Screen Control Editing
Introducing a New Term into the Editing Lexicon
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I used to work as a chaplain in a government correctional facility. The IT team for our facility was absolutely stellar. I’m technologically mediocre, so there were lots of computer problems I needed them to solve.
My focus was providing spiritual care, and I had neither the time nor the skill to solve technological issues myself—I just put the problems in the hands of someone who could solve them. I used to love when one of the IT people took control of my desktop computer, troubleshooting and fixing an issue for me while I sat back and watched.
Loads of nonfiction writers are just like I was with tech: They want to put their writing problems in the hands of an editor who can fix them.
These writers have a message to communicate, a story to tell, a concept to teach, people to inspire, faith to fuel, injustice to confront—they want to focus on that good stuff, not on how paragraphs fit together, how to transition between thoughts, which words to use, how to structure sentences, and so on. When these writers hire an editor, they’re hoping for someone hands-on who will wrestle their words into a form that communicates the message effectively.
However, there’s a feeling within these writers that’s just as strong as their desire for a thorough word-fixer. These writers feel fear.
Fear that an editor will skew their voice, muddle their message, introduce errors and inaccuracies, and turn readers off. They do want to hand their problems over, but they want the problem-fixer to fix the problems in a way that’s faithful to their own goals and desires for their writing.
I want to introduce a new term to the editing lexicon: screen control editing. It’s a metaphorical term—I’m not talking about editors who literally have remote access to clients’ computers. Rather, I’m referring to a style of editing where the editor:
does as much as they can to fix things for the writer,
minimizes the amount of follow-up revision work the writer has to do, and
makes special effort to draw the writer’s attention to changes that need review.
With screen control editing, the editor tries to get into the mind of the writer and take in the piece like it’s their own. An editor using this style will be proactive and generous with rewriting sentences, repositioning paragraphs, and making other necessary changes. They’ll edit as though they were revising their own work, making sure to use the writer’s voice and not their own. But all the while, they’ll leave comments in places where there’s a chance they altered the writer’s intended meaning, and they’ll be quick to call, text, or email for clarification—in essence, they’ll provide multiple ways for the writer to “watch” the editing process and ensure they approve of the changes.
Of course, this style isn’t for everyone.
Some writers love the art of writing just as much as they care about their message. These folks appreciate an editor who points out issues but doesn’t get overly invested in fixing them. Likewise, many editors don’t enjoy immersing themselves in projects as though they were their own.
But for the writers who want a hands-on fixer, and for the editors who love putting their hands on writing problems and fixing them, the screen control approach is golden.
If I can toot my own horn, me and my team of editors are pretty stellar. The screen control style of editing is our specialty. We get a lot of repeat business because of how secure writers feel when they leave their work in our hands. If you’re looking for an editor to fix your writing problems, book a free consultation at vandunkedits.com.