Writing as an Editor
Some of you might already know, but I started writing a book at the end of last year. I’ve had quite a few people ask me questions about how my writing has affected my editing and vice versa. So, I’ve decided to explore that a little in this blog post.
Before I started writing my book, I’d heard multiple people say that you shouldn’t hire an editor who’s never published a book. At the time, I thought that was completely ridiculous…and I still do. Writing and publishing a book has nothing to do with an editor’s qualifications. In fact, if an editor’s only qualification is that they’ve published a book, you should probably find a different editor.
However, writing has led me to see editing in ways I hadn’t necessarily considered as deeply before. For instance, editors are often taught that authors cannot be objective in relation to their own writing. While I understood this before, I now wholeheartedly feel it in my core. Are there “unconventional” aspects of my writing? Yes. Can I view them objectively? Absolutely not. If anything, this has shown me how valuable developmental editors in particular can be. When I’m ready for that stage of editing, I will be relying heavily on my editor to be knowledgeable and honest about what works in my story and what doesn’t.
I do think my writing improves my editing in a way similar to how reading books within the genre you edit improves your editing. Just as with each book I read I have a better understanding of editing concepts, with each word I write I further develop that knowledge by figuring out what does and doesn’t work in my story.
Finally, I would consider myself a pretty empathetic person, but I think the act of writing has helped me feel closer to the authors I work with. When they express frustration over trying to get a scene just right, I know exactly how they feel. And often, since I’ve been there myself, I have more suggestions or strategies for them to try based partially on what helped me through my own difficult scenes.
As a whole, I think writing and editing are intricately connected and constantly evolving. You don’t need to be a writer to be an editor, but venturing into writing as an editor certainly helps you improve your editing skills.
