Has the Editing Process Crushed Your Soul?

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Okay. I really used Tracked Changes.

In most of the editing I do at YourTango, I try to have an extremely light touch. I feel that I don’t have the right to rip apart a writer’s words, even if I would have said something in a different way.

In other cases (and not too often), I find myself cutting and slashing and rearranging and even sometimes rewriting, and it makes me feel so uneasy. Even if it needs it.

I’ve been working on an essay I assigned for the site. I did a lot of cutting and slashing and rearranging and sometimes even some rewriting. I went back and forth with the writer several times. Look this over, I told her. I want to make sure I haven’t misrepresented you or the research. I want to ensure that I haven’t lost your voice.

She made comments and made suggestions, and admitted that she didn’t have much experience being edited.

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Are Writing And Editing Mutually Exclusive?

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Once upon a time, I wrote terrible poetry and dreamed of becoming a published author. 18 years later, I received a degree in writing, literature, and publishing, and began considering a number of different career paths.

Foremost among them was magazine editing.

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