Why You Need An Editor
When we sit down to write, we often struggle with getting the words to flow or the tone just right. After we've gone through several sessions of revisions, we're so exhausted and ready to be done with the project. But we can't stop editing.
As a recovering perfectionist, I know what it's like to go over something again and again and again and… I would work until the words sounded right, then I'd set it aside for a little while, go back to it, and find more things I could change. It's really a never-ending cycle of revising.
Writing can always be made better. But letting that cycle continue prevents you from ever finishing anything. You never get your name out there to readers or editors. When you never finish your work, you're doing a disservice to your readers, to your customers. You're keeping yourself behind that wall you built with your need for perfection.
An editor can help you overcome that urge to be perfect. She can also help you improve your writing skills. The best way to learn how to write better is to practice and to accept feedback from others. Your editor will give you feedback on how to improve your writing, whether it is a short story, book, or brochure.
An editor will also keep you on the straight and narrow when it comes to sticking to your purpose, tone, and language. When writing copy, you must use your ideal client's language to get the results you want. You can still write in your own style, but you need to use the words they use. So, an editor will help you maintain your writing style while still being relevant to your ideal client.
In terms of purpose and tone, an editor can help you define what will encourage your ideal client to take action. A lot of business professionals want to focus on the money and making a sale, and they'll publish materials that are salesy and only serve their own purposes. This is a faulty objective. Sure, we all want to make money – who doesn't? – but we need to focus on what will help our ideal clients. Focusing on the client will give her the sense that you're talking directly to her, not at her, and giving her the information she needs to take an action toward the sale.
An editor also serves as another pair of eyes that will catch errors that you missed. Often, we see our writing as how we want, or meant, to see it, and we miss the errors that are right in front of us. Is it time to send your work to an editor?
If you are ready to make your writing shine, ask me about my copy editing services, or visit https://jodycalkins.com/copyediting-services for more details.
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