Re: what's an editor?

[Janice Gelb <janiceg -at- ENG -dot- SUN -dot- COM>]

In article LAA26975 -at- cds8922 -dot- Cadence -dot- COM, Jan Boomsliter <boom -at- cadence -dot- com>
 writes:
>An editor who is not a writer?  How can that be?

>If one is not a writer, how can one possibly assist the writer and the
>writing process?  I submit that the function you are describing is not
>editing.

>> Many editors are not writers and not at all creative. I had one like that
>> some years ago when I was on the staff of a large outfit. She could
>> identify problems, but did not know how to fix them. So we made a deal:
>> She would mark up the copy with her queries and comments, and pass it
>> back to me for repairs.
>>
>> It worked out very well. Is that a model for anyone?


I should hope not -- especially for writers who have never worked with
an editor before.

Just because an editor has never worked as a writer doesn't mean
that the editor can't figure out a way to assist the writer in
reworking a sentence or paragraph, and doesn't mean the editor
isn't creative. I'm sorry your personal experience with editors
has been that way, but I've been an editor (not a writer) my entire
professional career and have had no trouble assisting writers
with the writing process, or recommending fixes for problems that
might occur with the copy.


********************************************************************************
Janice Gelb                  | The only connection Sun has with this
janiceg -at- marvin -dot- eng -dot- sun -dot- com   | message is the return address.

"Life is something to do when you can't get to sleep."
                -- Fran Lebowitz, _Metropolitan Life_

********************************************************************************