by jim brennan

Created on: July 23, 2009

Why Hire an Editor?

Three words sum up the most important reasons to hire an editor: focus, expertise and objectivity. Writers are people and people have interests, biases and baggage. Regardless how impartial a writer seems to think he is on a topic, his personality comes through in the writing. Personal preferences are further confounded by the perspective they take on a topic. An editor acts as an independent observer able to point out an interest areas more palatable to the general public that may go unnoticed by the writer but are painfully obvious to the editor.

An editor has an orientation that enables him to take the writer's work and provide focus. That is not to say that a writer doesn't hit the mark some of the time, or even most of the time. There are instances where a writer may not emphasize a certain point in a theme because of his history or background when, in fact, it is advisable to make it the main focus of the story. An example would be a story about running a marathon may try to dispel an axiom of the running community because the writer has a bone to pick with that particular audience, when a seemingly innocuous point about the heart and dedication of recreational runners is really more interesting to the general public.

Secondly, editors are editor because it is their area of expertise. Writers are largely creative individuals with ideas to share and compelling stories to tell. A writer may be considered an expert in his filed, however his manuscript may leave a lot to be desired to the point if it were released unedited it could be rendered unintelligible. An editor has an eye for detail and has the expertise to interpret what the writer is attempting to convey and make significant contribution in communicating the author's intended message.

Finally, an editor is able to be objective because he does not have a dog in the fight, so to say. A writer usually will not begin to create a narrative, whether fiction or non-fiction, unless he is compelled for some reason. If it is non-fiction he is usually called to action because of an area of expertise, a position on a matter or a closely held opinion. Fiction, on the other hand is the work of a writer's creative juices that is influenced by experiences and background. An editor has no allegiance to the writer's opinion, perspective or thought. If a writer goes off on a rant, especially one that is not defensible, the editor can real him in.

So, writers are writers and editors are editors. Both professions bring specific talents to the table and both are competent, to different degrees, of one another's' trade. However, their individual talents complement one another's and the synergy created produces a piece of writing that is greater than that which would be produced individually.

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