Wednesday, September 21, 2011

COMMENT: You need an editor

Here's a comment from a reader on my post about writers needing editors (whether they think they do or not):


WordzGuy said...
+1, as the kids say. Roger Angell, who knows a thing or two about writing, once said this:

"Every writer needs a good editor. All of them, even the best. It's interesting that the older and best-known and most professional writers are the ones who really appreciate an editor. Young writers are terrified. They think, 'What I've done should not be touched.'"


I will also venture to observe that in these "I don't need an editor" discussions, the writer is probably thinking only about things like minor grammatical errors and typos. Whereas editing encompasses such issues as identifying who exactly the writer is talking to, and why they need the information; whether the information is being presented in a logical and useful order; whether it contains fluff or obscurity, or is simply incomplete; etc.

Thanks for the comment, WordzGuy.


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