I always feel a hesitance when a new writer approaches me. I wonder, “Can I do this? Can I help this writer? Will my insights and questions and thoughts and sometimes tangents be beneficial?” I don’t know, but I take a deep breath and accept the work.
***
To be an editor is to cherish the words and the writer of those words more than oneself. It is not to be dogmatic or to be able to say, “Write this way!” No, to be an editor is to unleash the writer further and further into the blue of sky or sea. It’s to give writers the ability and the chance to take flight no matter how rocky the take-off.
***
The development of a thick skin doesn’t apply to writers only; editors, too, have to have them. They have to understand that disagreements may happen between them and their writers. If they have a solid working relationship and believe in the work that is being created, they will return to that work after a spat. They will be more united than ever because they understand the purpose behind what they’re doing. They may still disagree, but the point of disagreement isn’t always agreement. The point sometimes is to gird the writer against future assault, to be able to stand firm when the critics voice their opinions and ask their sometimes inane questions.
***
What I know of editing: it’s a responsibility and a joy. It’s to be a trusted advisor and collaborator. It’s to be a frame for seeing. It’s to wound and mend. It’s to tear down and build up. It’s to learn what works and doesn’t. It’s to be open to criticism. It’s to be the bearer of a wonderful, delicious secret – and, oh, how hard it is to keep the secret at times! – as I wait for my writer’s work to be shared with the world.
Image: Smeerch (CC BY NC SA 2.0)
Very similar to business coaching Erin. I work on the premise that people are candles to be lit, not vessels to be filled. My role is to fan the flames that already reside within, to assist others to reach their highest potential. Like you, our role is to help others ‘take flight’. Cheers! Kaarina
KDillabough Yes, I once had someone compare my views on editing to those of a life coach. I just laughed and said I’d prefer to focus on the more contained mess found within manuscripts. 🙂