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Becoming an Editor

Cami Wilson

I started writing before I could read. I would fill up pages and pages of paper with

squiggly lines of my “cursive” and fold these papers into special notes to give to my parents and

siblings. I wanted to show them that I loved them. I would sneak into my siblings’ rooms and

make their beds and tuck these notes into the freshly straightened covers. My mom tells me that I

left the notes everywhere. I liked them because I felt that they expressed my feelings a lot better

than my words. I was terribly shy and had a hard time expressing my feelings as a child. So it

was through scribbled out, wobbly “I love yous” that I expressed my deepest feelings.

I enjoy writing because it gives me the chance to explore and think deeply at my own

pace. It gives me the chance to craft words and sentences in a way that more perfectly captures

the meaning and movement of my thoughts. Through editing, I will have the chance to help other

authors capture the meaning of their thoughts and make those thoughts more available to others.

The process of thinking through each idea, and developing each sentence to build something

more meaningful satisfies my appreciation for detail. Through paying attention to detail, learning

adaptable skill sets, and using editorial judgment as an editor, I will be able to help authors

express their own deepest thoughts and feelings.

Attention to Detail

I originally started writing these notes to members in my family because I believed that I

could express my feelings better through writing. I worried that everything I wanted to say would

not come out of my mouth like I wanted it to. I was concerned about the details. Throughout my

education, I have been trained to pay attention to the details. In my English classes I have

devoted entire class periods to the study and analysis of one sentence. I have been trained to pay

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attention to how structure and organization affect the whole essay or publication. When I have

time at my job on the student public relations team, I read through passages over and over to

make sure what I am editing is saying exactly what I want it to say.

Although I enjoy paying attention to the details of substantive editing, I have always felt

that my education of copyediting has been lacking in my education. Starting in and continuing on

from my seventh grade English class, teachers and professors skimmed over grammar and usage

rules because they assumed we knew enough. Using the knowledge I had gained from reading, I

guessed my way through a lot of my classes. Since I had read so much as a child, I could guess

pretty well. But I still felt like I was missing something. After taking a few editing classes at

BYU, I was excited to finally learn the details of the English language. I discovered a whole new

world of resources that were readily available to me. I still feel like I have a lot to learn in this

area, but as I continue to grasp onto more concrete rules, I continue to understand why some

rules are important and learn why others are not so important.

If I pay enough attention to detail I will continue to succeed in editing. Through

following the special tactics of a careful editor, I can apply the rules I learn in school and pay

attention to the details of each manuscript I edit. Amy Einsohn’s The Copyeditor’s Handbook

acknowledges that “two passes seems to be the universal magic number: no copyeditor is good

enough to catch everything in one pass, and few editorial budgets are generous enough to permit

three passes” (16). This shows that while most editors are not good enough to catch all of the

errors, they must do their best with the time allotted to each assignment. Editors must pay

attention to the details. I know I still have so much to learn, but I am excited to learn. I feel that I

am finally catching up on all of those years of grammar that I missed. I feel that I will finally be

able to understand and use these rules that often confused me in the past.

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Adaptable Skills and Potential

Editors edit with a variety of styles, and each publishing house uses a different in-house

style guide. It is important that editors learn quickly and adapt their skill set for each job. When I

first started the editing minor, I did not realize the great importance of a style guide. I had used

MLA for my English papers, but I did not know about the large number of rules listed in a style

guide like Chicago. I sometimes get overwhelmed with how much I do not know. But looking

over the last year, I now realize how much I have grown and how much I have learned.

When I first sat down at my job on the student public relations team for the College of

Fine Arts and Communications, I felt that I had no idea what I was doing. The material I was

editing was going up on the website, and I was overwhelmed. I knew how to edit structurally but

not necessarily how to copyedit. As I have taken editing classes this past year, I have been

amazed at how much they have helped me. After editing a few documents at work this past

week, I realized that I have learned a lot in school and at my job in the last year. I easily moved

through the document fixing grammar and spelling errors.

I often have to remind myself to be flexible and to remember that I will continue to learn

and become a better editor as I gain experience in this career. In Gerald Gross’s book Editors on

Editing, Simon Schuster reminds editors to “[not] pass judgment on a manuscript as it is, but as

it can be made to be” (24). Just as a manuscript has the potential to become better with the right

editing and coaching, I will be able to become a better editor by continually developing my

editing skills and gaining more experience in editing.

Because each publishing house uses a different in-house style guide, it is important that

editors are flexible and teachable. Editing requires a steady change in skill sets as editors switch

from one style guide to the next. I have easily made the switch back and forth between MLA and

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Chicago and feel that with enough hard work I will be able to switch to another style. Through

continually learning, researching, and developing my skills, I will be able to find success as an

editor.

Editorial Judgment and People

Editors must develop editorial judgment and must be able to work well with people. As I

learn more rules and memorize more of Chicago, I will have more confidence in editing. I know

that as I have worked in the editing field in the last year, my editorial judgment has improved.

After my small amount of experience, I feel like I better understand what needs to be edited and

what can be left alone. After working with deadlines, I know I can work within time limits and

still perform well.

Editing can be difficult when authors get offended or when time constraints inhibit

editing time. Amy Einsohn explains, “Publishing professionals use the term editorial judgment to

denote a copyeditor’s intuition and instincts about when to intervene, when to leave well enough

alone, and when to ask the author to rework a sentence or paragraph” (4). Editing can be a

difficult career because many authors may feel that their material does not need editing. They

might believe that their material is perfectly clear for their readers. As an outside reader, I can

mediate and help authors explain what they are trying to say, while still making sure that the

author is not offended by what I have to say. I love people. Making other people happy makes

me happy.

After working for a year in public relations, I have realized that many people are easily

offended when you try to help them do their job. People easily get frustrated with mediators. My

supervisor instructed us to truly listen to our clients and make sure they leave feeling enchanted

by our hard work. In my office there are a few writers and a few editors. One particular day, one

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of the students, Derek, was editing another student’s work. Anna, the writer, was getting

frustrated because she felt that Derek was editing a lot of her voice out of the paper. Derek was

editing a lot of her voice out of the paper, but the revision was necessary because her tone was

less formal than the article needed to be. I explained this to Anna in a way that made Derek’s

heavy edits acceptable and we moved on. I know that through keeping clear respectful

communication, authors will appreciate or at least understand the edits I suggest for their

manuscripts.

Through paying attention to detail, continuing my education, and through listening to and

helping the author, I know I will be able to find success as an editor.

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Works Cited

Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: University of California Press.

2011. Print.

Schuster, M. Lincoln. “An Open Letter to a Would-be Editor.” Editors on Editing. Ed. Gerald

Gross. 3rd ed. New York: Grove, 1993. 22–28. Print.