Yes, my IT analyst dad taught me how to edit (and write)
News
Thank you all for your delightful responses to my first newsletter! Take a peek at the blog for the continuing conversation around the topic of identity. (Thanks especially to Carolyn and Margaret for some hard-hitting wisdom.)
New release from Chrism Press: Kudos to Daniel McInerny on the March release of The Good Death of Kate Montclair. I had the joy of proofreading this, and my goodness is it a good book. A challenging read, since it gets down and dirty with the topic of assisted suicide, but told with consummate skill and a strong dose of good humor. And his character development! Chef's kiss, as the children say.
New release from OSV: The Handy Little Guide series is my baby at OSV, and I'm so excited about the newest: The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours by my longtime friend and mentor, Barb Szyszkiewicz.
Your Author Toolkit: I've added a new monthly column to my arsenal, which you can find over at the Catholic Writers Guild Blog. This first article is on how to write a strong query letter (fueled, I'm afraid, by deeply-held angst over weak query letters). Over the year, I'll highlight some of the writing tools I rely on as well, like Campfire and 4thewords, and the marketing course I'm currently taking.
Other recent posts:
Sunday Afternoon Stories for the Whole Family, CatholicMom.com
Five Tips for the Author-Editor Relationship, Pen the Truth
An IT Compliance Analyst Taught Me How to Edit
"How do I become an editor?" I often get asked. The becoming part, as far as getting paid gigs and a title and all that, is often different for everyone. But how to edit is, at its core, a very straightforward skill, which editors share with writers: it is making a piece of writing fulfill the needs of its reader.
My father is a civil engineer by trade, and a computer engineer by career. Not the sort of experience you normally expect to form a writer or an editor, right? Except that my dad is exceptional at both — because most of his job consists of writing or editing documents so that people will read them and do what the document tells them to do. Policies, procedures, audit reports, etc., all have to be perfectly clear, articulate, and effective, otherwise they aren't worth the bits they take up on the company Sharepoint. I think my dad has more experience writing for a reader than most of us in the publishing world, because his writing has direct, measurable effects. Either the work gets done the way company or national regulatory policy requires, or it doesn't. (And if it doesn't, someone is going to face an unpleasant encounter with an auditor.)
Growing up, whether I had drafted a book report on Where the Red Fern Grows or a research essay on cat breeds, my dad would sit down at our scarred kitchen table, take out his red pen, and edit. Then we'd go through it together, point by point, and I'd revise, and he'd edit again. Every time, he reminded me: If I can't understand what you're trying to say, it needs to be written differently.
As I go on five years as a full-time editor, this seems like obvious advice, but it still rings true for every project I have worked on. As an editor, I stand in place of the reader. And if I can't understand what the author is trying to say, then we need to work together to find a better way of saying it. Good art exists for the viewer, and good writing for the reader. Tweets, newspaper columns, novels, or devotionals — whatever the length of writing, it's only effective if it actually has an effect.
I wish I had the space and you had the time for me to continue waxing poetic about how awesome my parents are! But in lieu of that, I'll simply wish you a good day, filled with good writing and good editing. :) And yes, I probably should have had Daddy read this before I sent it out. Oh well. All mistakes are my own!
Food for Thought
Who has influenced your writing, editing, or reading journey?
Do you know who your reader is, and what he or she needs from you?
Do you ever get stuck writing to that Microsoft Word document, or do you write to the person who will read your words?
Good Books
Currently, I'm binge-reading everything my library has from Roseanna M. White. I'm developing a new love for Christian fiction — where I once only saw preachy or fake, forced spirituality, I now really respect true-to-life stories that aren't afraid to incorporate prayer and spiritual growth into a character arc.
Continuing the Conversation
I'd love to hear your thoughts on your personal influences, writing and editing effectively, or anything else in this newsletter! Let me know if I can share it with just your first name in my blog or newsletter.
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All opinions are my own, and are not endorsed by Our Sunday Visitor, Chrism Press, the Order of Preachers, NaNoWriMo, or the Catholic Writers Guild. (Or anyone else...in case I've forgotten somebody.)