India 3. Stet

Stet is a word used for correcting proofs in editing that translates to leave as printed or let it stand. It basically instructs a writer to disregard a change the editor or proofreader had previously marked. This is what I’m currently studying in a unit this semester called Corporate Writing and Editing. It isn’t news that perfect grammar and punctuation elude most of us, even writers, and I’ve been mulling over this ever since we received the stats behind the Willow Pattern project from Simon Groth. Each writer’s process within that 24-hour span is somewhat transparent, which allows us to examine peak periods of performance down to the amount of times they hit delete.

Editing is new to me. In fact, I think it’s new to a lot of students that are taking the unit this semester and it was evident in our latest examination. Although the lecturer and unit coordinator insists that the exam wasn’t difficult, a fellow student decided to do the math: The average mark was 49.21% and 48% (68/142 people) failed. Stephen King mentions in On Writing (2000) that when you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest. However, the nine writers who contributed their work to Willow Pattern didn’t have the luxury of time. Editing differs from each writer; there is not one approach to suit everyone’s work. I wonder how much time the writers allocated for proofreading in this 24-hour period? And if they held firm to that allocated time? Is it more important to have a good story, which isn’t perfectly edited or is it more important to have a less intriguing story proofread and ready for print?

When our results were released from our exam, I wondered how many writers like the art of proofreading and editing. And I don’t just mean the act of killing your darlings, I mean proofreading every line for grammatical errors. Does it take the beauty out of the craft? Does it bruise the creative concept? When you write, are you always aware of your sentence structure, punctuations and grammar? Does it affect the readability? Authorial voices sound fantastic when they are in our imaginations, but become something else when read in print. I wonder if these writers have some similar insecurity about proofing their work. How often they get it right? Or wrong? Do they accept the challenge of proofreading with confidence or do they ask for professional help? I have so many questions about editing and I’m sure every writer I ask will give me a different answer.

It’s a fascinating thought to deliberate as a writer, that we can produce roughly 5000 words within 24 hours, which is seamless of errors. How do you rate yourself when it comes to grammar and punctuation? And have you thought about how much time you spend editing a work vs. how long it took you to write it?