Allow me to re-introduce myself.
One thing about editors is that we tend to become the faceless people behind your project. You find us super helpful, but you might not know much about who we are as people. So, I wanted to start a blog on this site to share tips, talk about writing, and for you to get to know me just a little bit more!
I shared my experience with editing a bit on my About Me page already; I started by working as a peer tutor when I was an undergraduate student. While I was studying English, everyone would ask me if I was going into teaching, but I already knew that it wasn’t the profession for me. I found, though, that I really enjoyed helping people with their writing.
Students who felt that they weren’t the best at writing would eagerly share that they received an A on a paper we worked on together, and I loved seeing their pride. Even then, I still didn’t fully realize that I wanted to be an editor until I started working as an editor for a graduate school. The students I work with have spent years working on their degrees, and it’s so fulfilling to be able to help them across the finish line.
Writing Through Vulnerability
In both of these jobs, students would often apologize to me for “not being the best at writing.”
I would always reassure them that no apology was necessary; they were probably better at writing than they thought they were. To me, writing is a vulnerable practice (yes, even academic writing at times).
There isn’t always a clear-cut distinction of what is “good” writing in the way that there is always going to be a correct answer to a math problem. You create characters who may hold parts of your own personality, or you spend time, sometimes years, researching a topic and hope that you’re presenting your findings in the best way possible. The end result of these efforts is often just the writing, which can be pretty intimidating!
Write, Edit, Share
It takes confidence to be able to share your writing, and even more guts to ask for help with your writing, especially when it’s someone you don’t know. I used to be so nervous sending off my thesis pages to my professor, and if I gave any writing to a friend, they weren’t allowed to read it in the same room as me. But taking those chances and finding supportive writing groups has gotten me to the point where I’m going to do a public reading of a writing piece in just a couple of weeks.
That’s what I hope to achieve with Jack of All Trades. Whether we directly work together or you just happen to be following along, I want to be your writing cheerleader and help you find a love of writing or maybe a renewed sense of confidence in your practice.
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