Writers and editors: different roles, same goals

The marriage between a writer and editor can be a glorious one, or it can be a relationship full of strife.

The marriage between a writer and editor can be a glorious one, or it can be a relationship full of strife. As in any marriage, the glue that will hold it together combines mutual respect, appreciation and admiration of each partner’s skills and the role each person plays.

Marriages tend to be most successful when the partners are also each other’s best friend. They might not always agree, but they manage to work things out compatibly.

A writer’s best friend should be his editor. I say should be, because that’s not always the case. In a perfect world, a writer writes and an editor improves. Ultimately, the beneficiary of their alliance is the reader.

Although you’ll find many a talented writer/editor out there, not all writers are cut out to be editors and vice versa. So being a writer doesn’t automatically entitle you to consider yourself an editor, nor can all editors write particularly well. What good editors can do well is recognize good writing when they see it and, in wielding their blue pencils, ensure they preserve the writer’s voice.

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