What a good editor is not:
- An overly critical person who belittles writers and imposes her way of doing things on an entire manuscript.
- Someone who thinks fixing grammatical and spelling errors is good enough.
- A bad listener.
On the contrary, a good editor respects the fact that writing is hard and inherently vulnerable. Like a surgeon approaches a difficult surgery, like a woodworker eyes a piece of raw cherry, and like a Major League pitcher paints the corners with a wicked slider, a good editor examines a text with utmost respect.
A good editor will not only preserve an author’s voice but will amplify that voice so it becomes the best it can be. Simply put, a good editor will make an author look good. A good editor will:
- Bring their knowledge to your product. This includes sensitivity issues, which can be touchy; navigating how to communicate about minorities, including sexual and gender minorities; and other details and nuances that you may not have thought about.
- Know the most current trends in language (including grammar and punctuation).
- Help your work shine.
When a pipe in your house is leaking, you call a reputable plumber. When your child is sick, you take them to a pediatrician. And when you need help with something you’ve written, you call an editor.
