Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Finding That Perfect Editing Job

Do you have what it takes to become an editor? Maybe you are so in love with reading that you can think of nothing than being an editor. There are several things that you can consider before you become an editor, so let's have a more in depth look.

Being a writer is one thing, but there is more to it. You may consider becoming an editor simply because you love to read books. Maybe you have an eye for mistakes or you simply know that whatever it is you are reading sounds better another way. Either way, there is no doubt in your mind that editing is the right career for you.

There are a few things that you may want to be aware of before you make that decision to pursue such a career. First of all, know that writing and editing go hand in hand a lot of the time. They are almost the same, yet they are totally different as well. Let's going over the unique qualities of becoming an editor.

Once the writer has brought together their very own unique ideals and incorporated them with facts, it is time for the editor to not only look over and correct any misspellings, but they pay attention to sentence structure as well as flow, content facts and the style in which something is written.

A lot of the times, you will find that many employers require you to have a degree of some sort. Actually, that is not necessarily true in all cases at all. It is wise to provide your prospective employer with samples of writing. They may even give you assignments to test your editing skills, as well.

When the writer brings together all the resources and ideals that are necessary to write their novel, article, press release or other writing project, it is up to the editor to look it over. They are to correct the misspelled words as well as structure. That is not all. The editor is also required to rewrite after they review the project.

Sometimes the editors will also have assistants that are called copy editors. They are responsible for looking over the rewrites. They look for punctuation, structure, grammar and spelling as well as style. The co editor pretty much does what the editor does besides rewrites. Besides making corrections, the editor may even be attentive to facts by doing research.

It is not necessarily easy to do editing work as it is, so working in a noisy environment may be frustrating. However, it is not always like that. There are times when you are lucky enough to be in an enclosed area where there is little to no noise. This is something to consider before you decide to become an editor. Writing takes a lot of focus and attention to detail as well as utilizing creativity. Although it may seem easy to be an editor, it is not always that way.

A lot of times, editors will find themselves pressured with the stress of different projects, trying to complete them all at once. There are times when the deadlines are unbearable and there seems to be no way that they will complete it on time. Often times, there are projects that seem too complicated because there is a lot of research involved and resources may be scarce. Not realizing until it is right upon you, a deadline is almost unlikely to meet. Like mentioned, an editor doesn't know this until they are actually in the middle of doing a project.

Before considering a position as an editor or even a writer, you may consider the fact that you are in front of the computer most of the time. This causes muscle aches, fatigue and back pain. Then of course, there is starring at the computer all day long as well.

As with most jobs, experience is important. As a writer, the more that you write the better you become. It is nothing but a process of learning and being creative. Like a writer, we believe (or our philosophy is) that you are a writer and have always been, just waiting to be discovered. We all have it in us and we all have things to share with the world.

Some of us are perfectionists and editing is more becoming of us. Then other times we may even want to just have something to do and find writing is what we love the most. Either way, being a writer and an editor will take skill and training whether you take it upon yourself to do it hands on. You may go to school to master it. Then of course, all of us who become editors and writers were all born with the gift.

Creativity, experience, self-motivation, knowledge, and perseverance are all great qualities of writers and especially editors as well. You have to possess qualities like good judgment, patience and the ability to work under pressure. These qualities are of the essence. Great customer service skills as well as communication skills are also essential.

You will never become a great writer or master what it takes to be an editor if you do not have these skills. Hopefully, this has made it easier on making your decision on becoming an editor. Good luck in your endeavors and write on!

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