1 Willden So You Want to Be an Editor? Just call me a lover of words—a logophile, if you will. I was probably the only student in the entire elementary school who actually enjoyed those “copy-the-words-outof-the-dictionary worksheets” that Ms. K. gave us during our weekly library visits. I’ll never forget the devastation—the embarrassment—when I misspelled the word “galvanize” in the sixth grade spelling bee. How could I? And I certainly won’t ever forget the pure elation of finding my niche during my sophomore year of high school— joining the school newspaper as a layout editor was perhaps one of the best decisions I could have made in those teen years. Something about scrutinizing a spread for comma splices brought a joy that far surpassed the fun of attending a Friday-night football game. Four years later I would choose to minor in editing at Brigham Young University. Though at the time I believed that I had the potential to become a successful editor, I would later discover that editing is more than impeccable grammar. As one of my editing professors once said, editing is a “marriage” of one’s intuition and a deep understanding of the English language. While I still believe (and hope) that I have the makings of a fine editor, I’ve realized that good editors are humble, self-motivated, and diplomatic, with an undying devotion to the reader. Editing is a humbling process: no editor has all the answers, and the road to becoming a successful editor is a lifelong process. Perhaps The Chicago Manual of Style puts it best: “[T]he more we learn the less we seem to know” (203). It was a realization I struggled with for a time. During my first week as an intern for BYU Magazine, a university alumni publication, I resolved to commit every obscure grammar rule to memory. In my wide-eyed excitement of being an editorial intern, I cracked open the
2 baby blue cover of The Chicago Manual of Style and began reading. Only a short time later, I realized that simply memorizing rules would not be enough. Even if I could spit out every verb conjugation of “to lie” and stop every dangling modifier in its tracks, it wouldn’t be enough—unless I could combine my knowledge of the English language with good judgment, particularly in cases where no definitive “correct” answer existed. Good judgment can’t be learned from a book; it takes experience, and as much as I hated to admit it, no amount of reading could expedite the learning process entirely. There is no substitute for firsthand experience. Through my experiences in the editing field, I’ve also become increasingly aware of an editor’s need to be self-motivated. Keep up the pace, because deadlines wait for no one. One summer I interned for the Mormon Texts Project, a volunteer-based project that digitizes out-of-print Latter-day Saint texts to be published on Project Gutenberg, an online text database. Because my supervisor lived halfway across the country, the work was to be completed remotely—a convenient yet daunting prospect, as it would require self-discipline (especially when the beach or my friends were calling). Though I maintained my rigid schedule to fulfill the time requirement, I found it challenging to muster motivation when I was busy (playing) or felt tired. My supervisor cautioned me far in advance that when interns left tasks undone until the very last moment, the quality of their work suffered significantly, even if the time requirement was satisfied. In editing, some deadlines are looser than others, but one thing is certain: letting deadlines slide is “never the goal, and a copy editor who consistently misses deadlines will mark herself as incompetent and unreliable” (Saller 81). Plan ahead, procrastinate not, and things will work out, I’ve come to learn.
3 Willden I’m no diplomat, but my experiences in editing have surely reminded me of a need for tact when interacting with designers, photographers, writers, or other editors. “No editor is an island” in this business, as I discovered after editing a peer’s paper as part of a course assignment (Saller 92). I offered significant substantive edits to aid the organization of the piece, unabashedly scribbling comments in the margins of the manuscript. As I explained my suggestions to my colleague, she refuted many of my comments with defiance. I was bewildered: had I crossed my boundaries as an editor? I quickly learned that a piece of writing can hold intensely personal ties for a writer. One editor so eloquently proclaimed, “[W]hen you decide to argue a point, it should be on the merits of that point, not because you feel you have something to prove” (Saller 35). Though convinced that my edits would help her on the path to literary genius, I realized that asserting sentiments of superiority would have been detrimental. I was enlightened on the necessity of interpersonal diplomacy, especially when it came to author–editor relationships. It’s a skill I am continuing to hone, but the experience has shaped the way I interact with others in this field. Beyond maintaining a strong relationship with the author, a good editor has a sincere devotion to the reader—a valuable lesson I learned firsthand. It’s true: without the reader or the author, the text would never have come to be. Consequently, the editor has an obligation to eliminate grammatical errors and usage issues while retaining the author’s original intent. Some time ago I edited a friend’s manuscript for a children’s book in which she collaborated with an eight-year-old girl. Realizing that the text was largely penned by the young girl, I approached the project with a certain restraint, striving to remove errors while preserving her distinct childlike style and voice. Due to my
4 prescriptivist tendencies, I had to make a concerted effort to curb my desire to add an excess of commas to her continuous narrative flow. This young author had something unique to say, and my pride would not—should not—stand in the way of her authorial intent. An editor is the author’s number-one ally: “When you receive a work ready for copyediting, you, more than anyone else, are in a position to champion the writer and protect her project” (Saller 8). I was to be a champion for this young girl and ultimately, every other child (or adult) who would read her words. I was grateful to learn that more red markings on a manuscript did not necessarily equate to improvement. The editing world is a challenging but nevertheless rewarding maze to navigate, and many valuable experiences have helped me understand what it takes to become a good editor. Opportunities thus far have engrained in me the importance of humility, selfmotivation, interpersonal skills, and, beyond all, a recognition of my responsibility to the reader. When I entered the editing world in high school, I never suspected just how many lessons I had yet to learn—and that includes more than just grammar lessons. I still remind myself that I am no grammatical authority and that I can always develop more tact in my collaborations with others, but I believe I can succeed with motivation and a desire to learn. Armed with my style guides and life experiences, I’m excited to venture out and see what more the editor’s life has in store for me.
Works Cited The Chicago Manual of Style. 16th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010. Print.
5 Willden Saller, Carol. The Subversive Copy Editor Advice from Chicago (or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and Yourself). Chicago: University of Chicago, 2009. Print.