Dos & don'ts when working with writers on contract

Communication World, March, 1999 by Eric Ahrendt

Do ask for an outline on involved projects. When the project requires writing lots of copy (such as a corporate capabilities brochure) or presents a range of options for content, organization and creative direction (like a web site), you'll save time for everyone by getting an outline up front and showing it to the people who will be reviewing copy. It's much easier to make major changes at the outline stage than after a draft has been written, and doing so will reduce the number of drafts necessary to get a finished product.

Improving the Review Process

Don't have reviewers edit soft copy. When you get copy back from the writer via e-mail, print it and have reviewers mark up hard copy. If you let people change soft copy, you and the writer will have no master record of changes and will have several online versions to keep track of and compare. If you can't hand-deliver or fax copy, e-mail it, and ask reviewers to print it, edit it, and fax it back to you or the writer. One exception to this guideline: if there's just one reviewer, keeping track of changes made online is simple with word processing software.

Don't let reviewers make comments instead of changes. Reviewers who circle an entire paragraph and write No! in the margin are wasting everyone's time, because you or the writer will have to call for clarification. Reviewers don't have to rewrite bad passages in polished form, but they need to give the writer enough information to fix the problem.

Do review reviewers' changes. You know more about the subject matter and your company than the writer does, so be the arbiter on content changes. Look them over before passing them along and tell the writer which ones to ignore.

Don't expect the writer to make every style change. Most reviewers at high-tech companies are technical experts, product managers or lawyers, not writers and editors. Changes they propose to the content of the piece should be made, but many make changes to style and usage based on quirky preferences or half-remembered writing advice. Very often, these changes either make the document worse or change it simply to change it. Give writers permission to use their best judgment.

Do make sure the writer sees the final version. Copy often gets changed in small ways after writers turn in their last draft. Give them the finished, printed piece so they can have a copy for their portfolio and can see the final form for things such as product names and trademark references. That way, they can make those changes themselves in the next assignment.

Eric Ahrendt is a contract writer in Fremont, Calif.