A complex story should not be challenging to the reader, however challenging it is for the writer. Careful work in organization of your reporting and writing will help readers make sense of stories that deal with cumbersome economic or technical issues, or with soap-opera tales that present multiple characters and confusing turns. These techniques will help keep the complex story clear.

Too often copy editors and reporters are viewed as adversaries rather than collaborators. The best copy editors work with reporters to improve their stories and ensure accuracy.

The One-Minute (OK, Maybe 5-Minute) Editor: Working effectively with reporters when you don't have time to brainstorm.

At some newspapers, they call them copy editors; at others, sub-editors or "subs." At small operations, the chief editor often has to do everything: assign stories, edit the copy, write the headlines, choose and crop the photos, write the captions, lay out the pages (and perhaps eat lunch!).

Here are some basic writing guidelines from Skip Issacs, a former reporter, foreign and Washington correspondent, and editor for The Baltimore Sun.