Seeking Idea Editors

Nope, this isn’t a job ad. It’s a plea to replace copy editing with idea editing.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: You write a draft document. Maybe it’s a new policy proposal. Maybe it’s a compelling presentation deck. Maybe it’s a convincing business case. Doesn’t matter. You get your ideas down. Then you send it to your committee or collaborators and invite feedback. The response? Mostly copy edits. The Grammar Police roll up with the cherries lit.

I get it - clear is kind (thanks Brene Brown!). But most draft documents don’t need punctuation, grammar, and style suggestions (yet!). These documents need idea editors. People who will sit with the content. People who will see the trade-offs. People who will debate the merits of the approach – not the words on the page.

Listen, I know you wordsmithers are just trying to help. You’re good at grammar. Punctuation is your superpower. Marking up a doc lights up all the right spots in your brain. But when ideas are in draft stage we need to focus on materiality. In accounting (I’m not an accountant), the materiality principle helps people distinguish between significant items and trivial ones.

Let’s bring this same logic to the sacrificial first draft. I’m sure there is an important distinction between goals and objectives. But let’s save that conversation for when we’re satisfied with the significance of the ideas (and their implications).

Don’t worry! Copy editors: you will get your moment. Delayed gratification is important for everyone.  

PS-I hid at least 6 grammar errors in this post so you can scratch that itch (jk).

Inspiration

Conversations with Rebecca Jones, Trish Rosseel, and Deb Hutchison Koep