“I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out.” — Oscar Wilde
I liked reporting well enough, I liked meeting people and chasing news. But when I became an editor, I connected to journalism and to the crafting of words in a deeper way. Language became important, precision was vital. I loved working with writers and I never understood why in some newsrooms, the animosity between writers and editors became a culture that led to a weaker product.
Maybe even a product that allowed mistakes like a misused word or a garbled phrase to slip by and into stories, stopping dead an otherwise great read.
It might just be me who’s bothered by those things. Is no one else put off by a sign with words misspelled, so that what’s being advertised is lost against the mistake made? Does anyone else notice sloppy phrases like experts say and are they tempted to take a bright red pen to the local paper and mail it back to the newsroom? Does anyone else write y-o-u instead of u in a text message?
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Language can change, flex and bend over time, but I adhere to a core set of rules, an appreciation of things like subject-verb agreement. And tenses, which I inevitably mangle on my first and second drafts.
Which is why I edit them. Add, subtract. Modify, tweak. Rewrite, clean up. It’s why I’m offering my services on a professional basis. No first draft is ever perfect and no editor is either. But in whatever you’re about to say, read it again before hitting post and check it again. Revise, improve. Are you saying what you think you’re saying? Are your words communicating your intentions?
Editing is another tool in our chest of the hardware we use to search for meaning. It’s discipline and clarity and I love doing it freelance, taking on an array of projects from creative writing to articles for local papers. I’m excited to do more of it.