My Journey to Editing: The Beginning

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. I’ve been super busy. You know how much work it takes to plan a graduation? Actually, I’m not doing much of that work, but I am doing the whole prelude before the ceremony and that takes a lot of work. Practicing all those songs every day for several months and then when we’re just over two week away from the day I realize that I’m going to need to add another song or two and I don’t really have anything worked up to performance perfection and… Well, that’s all beside the point.

Today I’m going to tell you how my journey to editing began, but it’s only the beginning, because…well, that’s as far as I’ve made it so far in this journey… *shrugs* And please don’t be critiquing my grammar, because… Well, never mind, just don’t. ;)

I could say “Once upon a time, there was this reader and this reader, she was perfect at perfecting everyone else writing mistakes…” But we all know that isn’t true. So I’ll skip the rest of the fairy tale and move on with the historical fiction. Not really. ;)

Over a year ago was when it all started—boy, this really is going to sound like a story—when I was reading a particular book with more errors than normal books have. Anyway, by the time I was done with the book I was completely annoyed; annoyed with the editor mostly. I kept asking myself, “Self, why is there so many errors that went pass the writer’s notice?” It didn’t “click” until later that not everyone in the world reads like me—every single word, every single punctuation mark, every single thing on the page until it makes sense. And that's when I realized that I could be an editor.

Around the time that it “clicked”, a friend at my church was just finishing the first draft of her book. I forget the exact details, but she ended up asking me if I wanted to edit her book for her and since it was after my recent realization--and I was ready to try out my skills--I very happily agree to do a quick run through. I enjoyed it immensely.

It wasn’t until about a month and a half later though that another dear writer friend posted on her blog that she had finished writing her book and she was ready for editing. Yep, I emailed her that very day asking if I could do the editing. I had no idea what I was getting into, but despite that fact, I enjoyed it unmeasurably. And the very next day after I had sent it back, I got my next book. Needless to say, I was editing straight for over six months. Some of those were small edits, but they were still my edits.

I tell people that “I’m no writer, but I’m the everything else person…and I love it!”

So writers, keep writing, because you all are awesome and this world needs more of you—and I respect anyone that can write a great book. ;)

Back to the piano,

Deborah