Yesterday, I gave a talk for Sentient Media’s Writer’s Collective—which “brings together mentors, editors, and digital strategists to help emerging writers and advocates build better stories.” This program is free and I cannot possibly recommend it enough. The work that Sentient Media does is so cool and refreshing (I recently interviewed Executive Director Ana Bradley all about it). If you sign up for the collective (it’s free!), you can have access to several courses—including “Advocate to Journalist” and “Writing to Rank.” Since Sentient Media’s mission is to create transparency around the role of animals in our daily lives—from food to companionship to laboratory test subjects—the collective, of course, focuses on building the skills of writers whose focus is animal issues.
I started off yesterday’s virtual discussion by confessing that I consider myself a writer, first and foremost. But—especially given my work as the former Senior Editor (now Editor-At-Large) at VegNews—throughout the years, I have learned to embrace the role of editor. And since I started working at Kinder Beauty as the Vice President of Editorial, where I manage (among other things) the brand’s blog and forthcoming podcast, I’ve been lucky enough to work in an entirely new capacity—fostering my SEO skills and gaining a firmer understanding of the quickly changing landscape of digital media.
Back a hundred years ago, when the non-profit I co-founded, Our Hen House, had an e-book publishing arm and an online magazine, I made my editing decisions mostly from a place of curiosity and instinct; I published stories that interested me and that I thought would be useful to the animal activist community. Nowadays, with the vastly evolving landscape of animal advocacy and befuddling internet algorithms, editing is a very different skill and talent. Put on top of that the enormous differences between the digital universe (such as the Encompass Essay collection that I edited for Sentient Media) and good, old-fashioned books (that same digital collection is being released as an anthology this fall), and it seems almost silly to define an editor’s job as just one thing.
From standard copyediting to the more in-depth curation of a project, being an editor is equal parts skill, experience, connections, confidence, and the ability to curate an experience.
Back when I started this Substack newsletter—which I did as a way to publicly work out my processes around time management, creative expression, and activism—I was deeply searching for ways to be more content and less angsty (the jury is out as to whether I’ve actually accomplished this). As I’ve expressed in previous newsletters, the journey I’ve been on this year has encapsulated everything from buying bots that help me optimize and track my energy output, to learning that every time I say “yes” to something, I am also saying “no” to something else (something that more often than not entails basic self-care, since there’s only so many hours in the day).
Around that time, I got some top-shelf advice from The Li.st, a brilliant community of women-identified individuals who work in media and tech. One of the little gems of advice I received after I sent out a plea for help (did I mention I had 800,000 emails at this time?) was to collect the frequently asked questions I receive and publish a PDF addressing them on my website—which I did, and then I added a hyperlink to it in my email signature. This document covers everything from how to pitch me story or guest ideas to basic advice on writing and editing.
In an effort to make that editing advice more findable, I’m pasting that section of my FAQs below.
“Will you edit what I wrote?”
The short answer is no. I really appreciate you reaching out and thinking of me, but I’m currently all booked with obligations—both paid and volunteer. I’m working hard to manage my schedule to create a healthy work/life balance, while making sure I have enough time and energy to pursue my own creative pursuits both within and outside of “work.”
I’ve found these tools useful and hope you do, too:
Grammarly. It’s an easy tool that checks your writing for common grammar and punctuation errors. I find it always catches something I don’t.
Familiarize yourself with commonly misused words. On a similar note, make sure the adjectives you use are full of value (avoid boring words like “delicious” or “great” to describe something).
I see so many comma mistakes in pieces I edit. Be sure to know how to use commas.
Personal narrative is underused in animal rights. I hope that changes, as I see it as an important part of social justice. Learn what personal narrative is, find a compelling hook, and put yourself into the story. Here’s a useful article to get you started.
Join a Binders group on Facebook, such as Binders Full of Creative Nonfiction. These groups are full of very supportive people and you could probably hire one of them to edit your piece.
For further reading, check out Stephen King’s On Writing or Anne LaMott’s Bird by Bird (I personally like to listen to books in audio form while I’m getting dressed in the morning).
Read your piece out loud to yourself after you think you’re done writing it. You’ll definitely find mistakes or things you want to tweak. Better yet, read it to someone else.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good. The only way to be a writer is to write. The only way to get published is to try, even if you don’t think you know what you’re doing. (None of us really know what we’re doing.)
“Do you have any tips on how to be edited?”
My biggest tip here is to trust your editor. Understand that they want you to look good, and it’s their job to make sure you do. Don’t hold on too preciously to your words; it’s your editor’s job to make sure your point is being made in the strongest possible way it can.
And please don’t ever hand in anything unless you deem it publish-ready. Even though I guarantee it’s not publish-ready, it’s not your editor’s job to rewrite every word or bring a half-assed essay to a solid place. That’s disrespectful to your editor and undermines your own ability.
The best thing you can do is understand that your editor is your editor for a reason. They are probably talented, insightful, and experienced. They can offer a fresh perspective on your story that you are just not able to see.
Also remember that frequently, being an editor is a thankless job. It doesn’t generally pay well, and the magic that your editor will do to your piece will never be associated with them; you’re the one with the byline. So, bottom-line: be very, very nice to your editor!
And get over yourself a little bit. Most of the time, your piece will be remarkably elevated after your editor has gone in and done their work.
“Do you have any tips on how to be an editor?”
Stay very focused on the piece you are working on. Use Freedom or another app to remove all distractions. Be sure to be gentle but firm with your edits. If something moves you, add a comment telling your writer; they probably have a delicate ego, at least to some extent, and need affirmation. Don’t blow smoke up their ass, but be sure to be generous when you feel something they wrote has indeed landed.
Don’t allow yourself to be bullied or dismissed. Pause whenever you need to (whether that means you take a ten-minute break or a ten-day vacation), and recognize your own value. If you are being mistreated or underpaid, it’s OK to leave that gig behind.
You are the magician here. Writers would be nothing without a good editor. Take your job seriously, but not too seriously. Understand your value, but don’t get cocky.
Being edited is hard, just as being an editor is hard. Have a sense of humor about it and be very, very thorough when providing feedback. Don’t offer broad feedback like “this just doesn’t work.” Why doesn’t it work? Prompt your writer with a few possibilities to get them started in a new direction.
For those of you budding editors out there, I hope that you found something useful in this newsletter.
xo,
jazz
One Thing I’m Jazzed About
My podcast, Our Hen House, celebrated its 600th episode the other day! Listen wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you like it, please leave us a friendly review!
Thanks Jasmin! This was a good read for me, both as a writer and as an editor. I'm a bit amazed that people ask you out of the blue to edit their work for them! Editing is similar to translating (my other day job...): crucial to getting lots of writing out there into the world but largely invisible to the reader.