Why Editors Are Crucial
When I first started to write, as in creatively for money, I thought I knew enough grammar to get by. I did not. Then, when I started to write copy, I thought I knew grammar. I still did not. The truth is that grammar is a tricky animal (one that I certainly don’t and can’t hope to ever fully understand). It can be kind…but well, it can also rip your head off and leave you in right old state.
Coincidentally, it feels like you’re having your head ripped off when your editor tells you that, in fact, your writing and knowledge of the English language leaves a lot to be desired…
The pain of it!
But here is the truth: editors are doing you a huge favour when they point these things out; and believe it or not, they don’t do this because it is enormously satisfying, they do it because it’s what they are there to do! “What do they know?”you might say, after a particularly ferocious writer / editor encounter that has left you running for the safety of a dark room and sobbing into hand towels. Well, as it turns out, they know one hell of a lot: a lot more than you do and will probably ever be able to learn. They spend their life righting peoples wrongs and making sure that manuscripts and articles are fit and ready for publication. And don’t forget, nobody gets in more trouble than an editor when a piece is not grammatically sound. So when they tell you that you have things to learn, don’t take it personally and break out in to some everyones-against-the-poor-writer speech, thank them. They are doing you a favour if you ever intend to sell your work. Without editors, we’d all be in a lot of trouble and likely never sell anything!
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