Building a Writing Toolkit Part III: My Editor, My Self
Someone's gotta make those words pretty! And—last week to sign up for discounted writers' circles
Hi friends,
First, this newsletter was supposed to come out yesterday, but I underestimated my ability to catch up with the big ol’ mountain of work I left for myself while I was on vacation. But that’s good news for you for two reasons: first, I’ve extended the discounted rate on the writers’ circles til Monday! More on that below!
And second, it gave me time to check my mail, and I found this beautiful book waiting for me.
I can’t tell you how much fun I had working with Lindsey on this gorgeous book, and how excited I am to now have it in my hands. You should immediately buy a copy. Lindsey was also kind enough to write a guest post about her book, so you’ll get to learn all about it next week!
How is it August?
I’ll admit that with all of the things happening, it’s a little surprising to type these words: it’s August.
No need to panic about this. All month, we’ve been building a support structure that will help you keep on writing even when the student emails and committee invitations start rolling in. You have your writing community in place. You know you can get a coach or join a semester-long accountability group if you need to. Today we’re talking about editing, and then we’ll round it up with the most valuable tool anyone can have in their toolkit (cliffhanger!). I’ve written elsewhere about the how and what and why of editing and revisions, so I’m not going to reinvent the wheel here. Instead, I want to focus on having an editor you know, like, and trust can make your life a bajillion times easier when things start to get rough.
Who needs an editor?
Everyone! I do think that sometimes editing is shrouded in secrecy (“real scholars don’t hire editors,”) even though I can tell you, based on the number of top-tier scholars, journal articles, and book projects I work on, that is resolutely untrue. The smartest folks you know work with an editor.
Instead, I briefly want to make the case for why having a pre-existing relationship with an editor will make your life healthier and happier when things get stressful. Just like everyone probably needs therapy, almost everyone can benefit from having an editor. So consider this your permission structure—all the cool kids are hiring editors, you should too!
5 reasons why having an editor rocks
1. They’re like your penpal, only will actually write back. Unanswered questions can paralyze a project. If you’re not sure if a framing makes sense, or if your lit review is too…lit review-y, or if there’s a more elegant way to phrase something, it can be tempting to have those questions create a kind of decision paralysis where projects get shelved over relatively simple questions. Alternatively, you can ask your editor!
2. There’s a beauty in making it someone else’s problem. The great thing about having a coauthor is pressing “send” and launching that beautiful project right back into their orbit. In the same way, sending a draft to your editor can be incredibly liberating. It’s off your desktop and in the world, and you can focus on other things for awhile.
3. No one else just roots for the project to succeed. Reviewers and acquisitions editors are gatekeepers for the field and for the advancement of “knowledge.” Your friends and people in your writing circle (and your poor spouse who reads every draft of your manuscript) is rooting for you to be happy and successful. It’s rare in the process to find someone who is just helping your project become the very best it can be. That’s your editor—we want the project to succeed, and are dedicated to helping you make that happen.
4. Your editor is good at words—which gives you time to be good at everything else. Look, I can play badminton, but that does not mean that playing is the best use of my time or talents.
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In the same way, editors are good at words. We love words! There’s no doubt that you could write a good or great article on your own. And for some folks, the process of refining the article and language is deeply fulfilling. If it’s not fulfilling to you, think about how hiring an editor can free you up to do something you do find deeply meaningful—more research, more data design, more teaching, more time as a childless cat lady taking over the world.
5. Your editor can make you the smartest version of yourself. Some people worry that editors will over-edit and kill whatever is special or unique about the piece. This does happen sometimes, and has happened to me, though I think most good editors take a minimalist approach. (I asked someone who manages a team of 6 editors if he could tell which one of them worked on any given piece, and he said no—this is good! The author’s, not the editor’s voice should come through. As editors, we should leave no trace).
What editors can do is make you the most articulate, smartest version of yourself, carving away the hesitation and couching and trepidation so you sound exactly like the smart, sexy version of yourself inside your head.
And, editors can save you from yourself. The very last change I made to my book? My editor caught a reference to stealing Merrick Garland’s Senate seat (and I’m a political scientist). That error had made it through approximately 70 billion proofreads and would have haunted my dreams if it had made it to press. Thank goodness for editors who catch things like that, swap SCOTUS for Senate, and make me sound slightly more together than I actually am.
Alright darlings. It’s August! My homework for you: Before the week is out, make sure you’re writing things you want to write, saving yourself room on your calendar to make that writing happen, and putting in place a support network that will help you rock the beginning of the semester.
Kelly
What’s going on around here
Writing support all semester long:
Writers’ circles: This is the last week You have until MONDAY to sign up for our weekly writers’ circles at a discount. These are a fantastic way to build community, support, and accountability around your writing practices all semester long. Join us, and invite a friend!
Book writing workshop: If you’re writing a book, the next quarter of my book writing workshop kicks off August 6-8, and I promise there’s no better group of people to be writing alongside. The focus for August’s quarter is all about telling a story and how to focus on the mezzo level of the writing process. Join us!
For either of these you can add one-on-one coaching (!) and editing (!!) to help you build out your whole toolkit of writing support so you can focus on just producing the research that will change the world (you know, no pressure).
Free end-of-summer pop-ups:
August 20: 2-3 eastern: Spring 2024: Let’s talk. A c ombo ask-me-anything and strategy session. We’ll chat about planning for the fall semester, setting intentions, and kicking ass.
August 21: 12-1 eastern: Let’s read. A writing room, but for reading. Pour yourself some tea, close your laptop, and spend an hour reading that book that’s been in your bag all summer but you’ve never managed to open.
August 22: 2-3 eastern: Let’s write. An hour-long goal-setting and writing session to get you ready for the fall.
Sign up here, and I’ll send you a link for the sessions—join for one, two, or all three!