Three Kinds of People

 Three Kinds of People?

I’m a writer. I appreciate editors. 

Don't leave. This post isn't about writing. It's about living.

In the world of writing, we have different sorts of editors who look over manuscripts. A developmental editor or content editor makes sure the author is accurate, consistent, and keeps the story moving forward.  We even have editors who help in making sure the language of our text is clear and easy to understand. 

Of course, there are those editors who pick at punctuation and spelling. Go figure.

I’m working on a novel. I have poured through it several times. I try to polish it as best as I can before anyone else reads it. I look forward to getting into the hands of an agent or publisher. But I know that is only the beginning. 

Once accepted, a publishing house will assign my work to an editor. This week I was thinking about how editors make my writing better. Stronger. 

The thought occurred to me that everyone could use an editor.

I keep this on my desk...
a good reminder to edit.

Wouldn’t it be great if every person had a little editor on his or her shoulder? Someone to stop us before we say something we’d later regret or at least delete the comment before it reached another person’s ears?

Here are a few ways an editor on our shoulder might help…in writers terms:

Tone or Voice. I remember my mother telling me, “Don’t speak to me in that tone of voice, young lady!” Think about it. An editor on my shoulder could have saved me from being grounded.

Relevancy. You’re at a party and want to fit in with the new crowd of people you’re meeting. You start to tell a joke. The only joke you know. It would be great to have that little editor on your shoulder shove something in your face before you open your mouth and offend everyone.  Or perhaps…some of those folks are talking about a basketball game and you jump in telling them about your high school winning streak playing cards with your grandma at the senior center. An editor on your shoulder could have slapped you up the side of the head.

Jargon. An editor on your shoulder might stop you from speaking in those technical terms you use in your job at NASA at a party. Boring! An editor could suggest a better way to communicate your love of space. Something like, “Did you taste the dip? It is out of this world!” Or “I’m over the moon with this band!” Well, maybe not. But you get the idea.

Concise Language. You’re sitting at dinner and someone asks how your day went. A little editor on your shoulder might stop you from boring your family (or guests) with a thirty- minute story detailing how you unjammed the copy machine at work and then had to refill the paper tray.  Unjam? Refill? Copy machine? Four words max.

Maybe if we all had a little editor on our shoulders, we would get along better with those around us, avoid hurt feelings, and maybe even avoid everything from fights on the playground to wars in the world.  

What do you think?