Writers vs editors
A friend of mine posted a link on his facebook to this blog, which is actually a response to this article. I found both amusing and interesting since I've been both a writer and an editor.
For those of you who don't want to follow the links, they are about how editors see writers, how writers see editors and how both groups see themselves. They also comment on how those who are both writers and editors swing between all of the views.
Until this year I've pretty much solely been a writer. I did the occasional editing of friends' assignments, but that's about it. As a writer I was certainly of the opinion that editors were the devil. Whenever I wrote anything (oh who am I kidding, whenever I write anything even now) I am convinced that it is perfect. I know there is nothing an editor can do to it that would make it any better.
This year I've become an editor as well, I've spent at least a couple of days a week editing various works. I've got to say, as an editor, I suddenly become of the opinion that writers are idiots who don't even have a simple grasp of grammar and are far more verbose than they need to be. In my role as editor I always feel vastly superior to the writer whose work I'm editing.
In a week I can switch between editor and writer a few times in a row, actually sometimes in a day I'll switch between the two. The writer of one of the articles I linked to above says that being both writer and editor is often like having split-personality. I 100% agree. It's exactly like that! share this: facebook
For those of you who don't want to follow the links, they are about how editors see writers, how writers see editors and how both groups see themselves. They also comment on how those who are both writers and editors swing between all of the views.
Until this year I've pretty much solely been a writer. I did the occasional editing of friends' assignments, but that's about it. As a writer I was certainly of the opinion that editors were the devil. Whenever I wrote anything (oh who am I kidding, whenever I write anything even now) I am convinced that it is perfect. I know there is nothing an editor can do to it that would make it any better.
This year I've become an editor as well, I've spent at least a couple of days a week editing various works. I've got to say, as an editor, I suddenly become of the opinion that writers are idiots who don't even have a simple grasp of grammar and are far more verbose than they need to be. In my role as editor I always feel vastly superior to the writer whose work I'm editing.
In a week I can switch between editor and writer a few times in a row, actually sometimes in a day I'll switch between the two. The writer of one of the articles I linked to above says that being both writer and editor is often like having split-personality. I 100% agree. It's exactly like that! share this: facebook
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on Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 8:00 PM.
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