Editing your work

There is so much work that it goes beyond just adding or deleting some commas. You have to rewrite it.

You don’t understand why this is happening. Isn't writing easy? Reading is pretty easy; you just glide over the text. Why should writing be any different? I mean, you speak your language perfectly, and it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Hundreds of questions are going through your head, and they get mixed with unkind feelings towards the editor. But, your work must go on and you have to find a way to do it. Demoralization should be left behind. How to do it?

Next time you’re in this situation, put yourself in the editor’s shoes and remember these things.

1.       Your text was only edited, no one is judging you. This is not school, and you’re not being graded. No one is interested in grading you, they only care about your text, and how it can get to be the best it can be for your readers.

2.      Direct comments are not rude. The editor is trying to be nice, but he can’t write a speech in each comment. The more direct the comment is, the better. This doesn’t mean the editor is being rude, it just means that he doesn’t want to waste your time, and he wants to make the reviewing process less exhausting.

3.       Know how to distinguish between rules, improvements and suggestions. The editor knows that some of the observations he makes should be followed to set your text in accordance with clear and unquestionable linguistic rules. There are other observations that are just improvements (what you wrote was correct, but this improves, clarifies or preserves the meaning better), and others are just suggestions (what you wrote is correct, but you would benefit from writing this or that). You won’t always agree, and sometimes you’ll have better solutions. Think about the comments, analyze them to see if there’s a better solution and negotiate.

4.       You shouldn’t get into a power struggle. The editor is not interested in becoming a dictator who must be obeyed at all times. The editor wants to help you improve your text, be it via the solution he suggests or with alternatives that deal with the issue raised in the comment.

5.       The editor is the specialist, not you. We tend to think that speaking our language is a universal skill, and that it grants us the authority to express ourselves without being corrected at all. This is false. You need to study to earn a degree in medicine, engineering or architecture, and you recognize these fields as specialties because of their competencies and particular knowledge. In that same way, you need to study your language, and you need to learn to use it as a malleable thing so that you can communicate... The editor is an expert in his field. Let him apply his knowledge and experience freely.