Why is editing so hard to explain?
When I tell people that I’m an editor, there is often an awkward silence as they think about how they should reply. After all, Isn’t spotting and correcting typos a redundant job? We have all seen typos in the books we’ve read; and for many years now word processing software displays red lines underneath misspelled words or blue lines under ugly phrasing.
Why is editing so hard to explain? What is it that editors actually do?
It’s hard to explain because it's one of those things that’s under the radar. A reader wouldn’t notice if it's been done or not unless of course they happen to be the writer. A reader would only notice if a book hadn’t been edited. Rather like noticing someone turning up to a wedding wearing dirty crumpled clothes and hair that looked like Worzel Gummidge compared to someone dressed in clean, ironed clothes and combed hair. They would stick out like a sore thumb.
I’ve been creating my website and one of my services is ‘development editing’. This is the first stage in the editing process. The other stages are copy-editing and proof-reading.
I struggled to write the section on development editing and left it until last. It was only when I found myself looking at the flower border directly in front of my dining room window that I came up with an analogy of what it's like to edit.
In autumn 2022 we bought a brand new house and had the excitement of planning a new garden from scratch; a blank canvas. In autumn 2023 we had a framework created in our garden, nicely shaped borders and paths. We planted some bulbs along the hedge. Come spring 2024 there were still no plants in the borders. They were all in pots. The pots were amassing as I love bargains and forlorn plants.
‘These have got to be planted or they will die.’ A rather melodramatic statement from me. My husband was insisting we planned the planting and wasn’t too impressed with the adhoc plant purchases. The planning hadn’t happened and I really couldn’t foresee us doing the necessary.
He agreed we could plant them, on the proviso they could be moved or replaced.
Andrew has developed a love of grasses and these were planted in the border in front of our dining area window, where one day we will also have a water feature. Going with the light airy feel of grasses, I planted some verbena amongst them because of their long wiry flower stalks and dense, rounded bright purple flowerheads. I grew some annuals from seed and planted the Cosmos and Escholzia amongst the grasses because they have feathery, light leaves.
Flower border containing grasses, sedges,cosmos, eschscholzia and verbena.
All good… roll on to October. Time for some evaluation and editing.
Most of the grasses look good; they can stay. The two carex (sedges), don’t seem to be thriving in the spot they were planted - looking flat and forlorn. Maybe it is the poor, clay soil left by the builders? I will dig them up and plant them in large pots in compost. Hopefully they will perk up and we can work out where they can best live.
The verbena grew massive and dominated everything; at least one of them can be moved into the background somewhere.
The cosmos and eschscholzia are dying back and will be dug up and put in the compost bin.
We can decide what to try next year or maybe leave the space.
During the winter months we can watch Gardeners World, consult with friends and our books; continue to snap up bargains.
Not unlike a development editor, who will make suggestions to cut, paste, delete and add new material to ensure the narrative and ideas flow without ambiguity and inconsistencies.