03.15.09
How Editing Made Me a Better Writer
Our teacher once told my college writing class that being able to diagnose problems in someone else’s work is a great way to build your own writing skills. This was several years before the thought of becoming an editor entered my little head, and I confess I did not take her very seriously. At that moment I only knew I didn’t like the concept that part of my grade would be based on my critiques of classmates’ work. Even after I had done the assignment, aced the class, and become a better writer, I still didn’t recognize the value of the experience.
Now I do.
An editor has a uniquely intimate relationship with a piece of writing. Only the writer is closer to the work. We editors spend our days worrying over the most minute details of a written work, all while keeping the big picture in mind as well. We notice where the plot sticks or the characterization falls apart, where the dialogue isn’t working or the punctuation is confusing. Each day, as I’m up to my elbows in someone else’s commas, I’m learning more and more about what makes writing work.
What have I learned? The most important lesson has been the value of being a careful, meticulous writer. This means organizing what you want to say and deciding how to say it before you actually write anything. It means proofing your own work and taking the time to get the spelling and punctuation right. Many writers make up punctuation as they go along. Others will spell the same word four different ways, all of them wrong. I have spent many days of my life trying to understand what they meant (and not always succeeding). If you want to look good in print, it’s up to you as the writer to put in the hard work up front. Yes, an editor can help you do a major overhaul after you’ve finished your first rough draft, but the final product will be better if you give an editor a high-quality manuscript to work with.
I have also learned how important it is to have someone (preferably someone who knows what they’re doing) edit your work. No matter how careful you have been, you will almost always skip over a few errors in your own work. You may have written something that makes perfect sense to you but is hopelessly confusing to everyone else. Only a careful, critical reader can highlight these problems for you.
That college critique experience wasn’t editing, but it did help to prepare me for editing. It showed me how to look for problems in others’ writing. And, yes, it showed me how to learn from others’ mistakes and diagnose and avoid those problems in my own writing. Once again, teacher knew best.
