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Every one of us in business must spend part of our day writing — whether we like it or not. For some, it’s just another part of the day; for others, it’s a chore. Perhaps this might help ease the pain. Every writer needs help. Even the most renowned writers have editors. Having an editor review your writing is a foundational principle for clear communication.
Editors are an extraordinary lot. The best editors improve the writing of an array of documents while retaining the voice of the original writer. These editors consider themselves collaborators with writers; not adjunct to them, but rather an integral part of the writing process.
What is sometimes lost in the process is that in order to edit with sublime, editors must have a firm grasp on a larger set of skills. These skills include:
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Filling in the blanks.
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Translating and transcribing text.
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Juggling multiple versions.
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Combining and contrasting the work of multiple writers.
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Dealing with all the vagaries inherent in most complex projects.
Ultimately, an editor is a great writer who makes the writing of others great. Read more in my most recent Toward Humanity blog post “Five Extraordinary Editing Tasks” (download the PDF). See how many different ways an editor can help you communicate more clearly.
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