Reflections
Talking writing —
and other reflections on working with words
__________
Why do we write? I’d say we write out of a desire to explore and to learn. Out of a desire to explain, to clarify, to share.
How do you set out to become a writer? Not the business of it, but the actual doing of it. The actual mastery of it.
First of all, read. Read a lot.
What sort of writing calls to you? Read widely in a range of genres, but of the writing you yourself hope one day to do, read the undisputed masters. And then compare that work with the work of lesser writers.
Editors work with words on the page, helping to better shape their presentation and impact. They do this in various ways, depending in part upon how far along in the process the piece is, depending in part also upon what the piece needs — as long as the schedule supports it, of course.
Divorced from context, the term “editing” can mean almost anything related to changes in text, by anyone, for any reason.
