Having had many conversations about what I do for a living, I thought it’s time to answer a very important two-part question: “What does an editor actually do? Why hire one?”
Your initial answer to this question may be that an editor fixes grammar. You think to yourself: “An editor is someone who puts periods at the end of sentences and corrects the spelling of misspelled words.”
Well, you are right . . . to some extent.
However, with our advanced technology, a grammar check will correct most basic grammatical errors. Yes, all those red squiggly lines are there for a reason. Right click, and voila, the change is made!
Wait a minute. You may still be asking: “What is the point of an editor then?”
Editors don’t just fix grammar. They help you become a better writer.
“But how,” you may ask?
Well, when I look at someone’s writing, I critique way more than just their grammar. Questions I ask myself:
Does the writer make sense? Are they able to communicate their ideas clearly? Do I know what they’re talking about? If their thoughts and ideas are confusing, those need fixing first. Structural changes need to be made.
Does the writer use the same type of sentence over and over again? If every sentence is structured the same, I jazz it up so that there is variety. (sentence structures: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex)
Does the writer type the same adjective or verb 10 times over? (This is incredibly common for a writer to do; it happens to me too.) Pulling out my thesaurus, I change that word to many of its creative fellow synonyms.
Does the writer use transitions well or at all? (probably the most common writer issue) It’s all about the flow: one thought needs to flow into the next. I add in transition words to fix this issue, trying not to use the same one twice.
Does the writer make their paragraphs too long or too short? Is the spacing off between paragraphs, subtitles, block quotations, lists, etc.? Does everything look uniform? I don’t just work on the individual words and sentences but also the formatting, which constitutes the bigger picture.
Does the writer understand how to use punctuation correctly? So yes, I correct grammar. If I see that a writer doesn’t know how to use a semicolon, comma, or a colon correctly, I’ll change that for them. I’ll find the fragments, run-ons, and the missing words too.
I could add many more questions to the above list, but I think you get the point.
“So is it worth it to hire an editor?”
(I’m nodding my head vigorously.) Judging by what I read a lot of the time, I’d say an editor is definitely needed: if anything for me to be the second pair of eyes for you as you write . . .