Why you shouldn’t want to be a good editor

I know the subject line of this post might seem a little odd — counterintuitive, even.

Why shouldn’t you want to be a good editor? Wouldn’t every writer on the planet want to be a better editor of their own work? Where, exactly, is the harm in being a good editor?

Well, to be honest, there’s absolutely no harm in the good editing part. I salute good editors around the world. We need more of them, and if I can help some bad editors become good ones and good ones become great ones, I’m ready to dive in.

The problem is the word want.

Think about how you might use this word:

• I want a new car. Maybe a hybrid. Maybe an electric. Maybe just something with that new car smell.
• I want a new house/apartment. I don’t have enough room. I don’t have enough storage. I don’t have enough light.
• I want a new partner. My partner is too boring/demanding/scornful/impatient/too fill in the blank: ____.
• I want a better job. I’m not paid enough. My work isn’t interesting enough. The commute is too tiring. I hate my boss.

Understand, I’m not criticizing you for having any of these wants at all. Your reasons for wanting a new car, house, partner or job may be perfectly valid and important, but notice how the want always focuses on you.

You want it, dammit, and you’re willing to work for it, so why shouldn’t you be able to get it?

And that’s the key problem with wanting to be a good editor. The want stands at cross-purposes with your objective.

You’re focusing on you.

Your needs. Your desires. Your hopes. Your plans. Your goals.

Maybe you want to impress your boss with your writing. Or produce a bestseller. Or have your colleagues look at you with more respect. Or persuade more people to buy your product. Or convince a client to pay you more money.

And, indeed, good editing might help you achieve any of these goals.

But a big problem remains: editing is not about you. It’s about your readers.

You don’t produce well-edited copy by making your writing better for yourself. After all, you already know what you wanted to say.

You edit to make reading better for someone else. The text needs to become more interesting, less confusing, more persuasive, better organized — for your reader.

Not for you.

So, if you really want to become a good editor, stop thinking about yourself. Instead, focus 100% on your reader.

This post first appeared on The Publication Coach blog.