Becoming a Writer-Editor
How can someone effectively combine writing and editing skills to make a good living? By establishing what I call a “hyphenated career”: becoming a writer-editor!
Combine Writing and Editing Skills
In my book The Business of Storytelling, I talk about how to create a writer-editor career, where you use what you learn as a writer to reinforce the editing side of your career and vice versa.
For those of us who enjoy taking on a variety of projects in our work, a hyphenated career can be a source of fulfillment and growth (both personal and career-related). I’ve always said I’m a better editor because I’m a writer, and I’m a better writer because I’m an editor.
The other day, a reader contacted me and said she was a different kind of hyphen: a bookseller-writer. I loved that! Her deep understanding of what readers enjoy reading makes her a better writer, and her understanding of writing and literature makes her a better bookseller.
A friend of mine is a great beta reader/big-picture editor because she’s also a visual artist (“Even painters info-dump,” she says.) I love the idea of there being all kinds of hyphenated careers possible for writers and editors.
In the end, it’s the interplay between your skills that can help you earn more money both as a writer and as an editor.
Tips for Editors & Writers
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The Connection Between Plot and Character
In discussing how to edit fiction, we’re trying to make explicit what narrative competence is—that is, what makes a story a good story. At the most basic level is the plot. And plot, at its most basic, is simply the story of change. There is an initial situation, some sort of challenge or reversal to…
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Editing for Character Development
When you’re editing for character development, one concern you should keep in mind is that even small changes have ripple effects throughout the entire manuscript. So any changes you suggest need to be important, or else you’re asking the author to do a lot of work for little reward. For example, sometimes I’ll see editors…
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Coaching for Accountability
One concern that often holds newer editors back from offering coaching to writers is that they don’t know everything. But that shouldn’t stop you from dipping your toe into the coaching waters! Coaching for Accountability Coaching for accountability is a great fit for coaches working with writers, even new coaches. However, if you’re new at…
