Whenever we write any kind of public text – be it a book, a report, a blog, or emails to multiple people – we do three things: plan it, write it, and revise it. This last stage, the revision, is perhaps the most vital since it is here where the text is refined and polished for readers. Editing is an important part of the polishing process – so important, in fact, that bestselling author Stephen King, in his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, tells us that “to write is human, to edit is divine.” This course will introduce participants to editing not as a mechanical activity governed by a set of rules expressed in grammatical terms, but as a craft designed to make a written text more eloquent, comprehensible, and engaging – in short, “divine” – so that it resonates in some way with the people who read it. While some grammatical terminology will be used occasionally, we will discuss editing techniques in plain English and within a common-sense framework. Although we will focus primarily on editing within professional and business contexts, the content will be accessible for anyone who is interested in written expression. This course will equip participants with a critical “editorial perspective” as well as a discernible skill set they can draw from when revising their own writing or that of others.
Please note: Due to the popularity of this course last year, we are bringing it back this fall as an ONLINE course.
Attendance & Participation
This course will be delivered via the University of Arizona Zoom platform. The five class sessions will be LIVE ONLINE and will be recorded. The recordings will be shared with registered students after each session to facilitate access for those who cannot make the live sessions.
Registration
Online registration for this course is now open. After registration participants will receive instructions about how to access the course online.
Refunds
Refunds are available and need to be requested before or by November 8. To drop a class, please contact Kerstin Miller at 520-621-5111 or sbs-communitymatters@email.arizona.edu. A $25 administrative fee for each cancellation will apply.