Tracee Tibbitts

ELANG 350

March 15, 2012

ELANG 350 Response Paper

1. Do you want to become an editor? Why or why not? Explain your answer in terms of

specific aspects of editing that you do or do not enjoy and that do or do not match your

skills and personality. Illustrate your points with personal examples and experiences.

One specific instance stands out from the rest of my high school experiences. I

was in my British Literature class, and the teacher had us peer-edit papers. Everyone

grumbled, and switched papers and annoyed glances with the person sitting next to them.

I looked at my classmate’s paper, eager to begin editing. I edited for content, grammar,

usage, and ideas. I wrote all over the page, hoping to truly help my classmate make a

better grade and to give supportive feedback. After a few minutes, we switched back

papers. My partner handed me my essay, with a few commas moved and a “good job”

written on the last page. Was that it? I thought. Where were the helpful suggestions and

comments? Was my language correct and appropriate? How was I supposed to improve

my writing without a third party taking an objective look at my paper and helping me

change for the better? A few days went by, and I revised my paper and turned it in. When

the teacher handed the papers back, she complimented me on my great editing skills, and

noted that she was truly impressed with my work. It was then that I realized that I wanted

to be an editor. I loved thinking critically about others’ work and helping them to

improve their writing. I wanted to take the best papers and make them better, not only to

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help my friends improve their grades, but also because better writing brings better ideas

and understanding into the world. There are many things about editing I love, and

personality traits that I possess that are in line with a typical editor; however, there are

also some aspects of editing that do not match my strengths.

As I began my editing minor here at BYU, I knew that I was in the right place.

While few people may be able to say that they enjoy learning grammar and usage, I

realized that these were the things I noticed and pondered on a regular basis. In my

ELANG 322 class (Modern American Usage) I learned that while learning grammar and

usage rules isn’t the most fun thing in the world, I genuinely enjoyed having the

knowledge of when to use further or farther, and the proper usage of the semicolon; I felt

that this information made me feel more well-informed and educated. I knew that I would

be respected for using proper language and that following standard writing conventions

would lend credibility to my writing.

In Editors on Editing, Gross presents the author as a person who performs three

main tasks: “First they must find and select the books the house is to publish. Second,

they edit (yes, Virginia, they still do edit, no matter what cries you hear about bottom

lines, heart-less conglomerates, and the defeat of taste by commerce). And third, they

perform the Janus-like function of representing the house to the author and the author to

the house” (4). I’d like to focus on the third aspect of this—the editor as the author’s

advocate.

When I was twelve years old, I moved from Houston, TX, to Doha, Qatar, in the

Middle East. There, I attended an international middle and high school, where I

encountered a variety of people. My high school was home to students from all over the

Comment [S2]: What are personality traits of a typical editor? Maybe separate sentences and say “I have…(list of personality traits)…which seem to be in line with most editors” or something to that effect. You do go into them later on, but here might be a good place for your thesis statement.

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world, and I learned that despite our differences—be they race, religion, language,

culture, etc.—that we could all still learn to get along. I had friends who were on both

sides of global conflicts—Palestinian and Israeli, Indian and Pakistani, and Serbian and

Albanian. However, we learned to gain mutual understanding and accept each other’s

different opinions. This can be likened to the relationship between publisher and author—

they are on different sides of the publishing process, which may seem like a warzone, but

as an editor, I would get to see and understand both sides of the conflict—as I saw in

high school with my friends. This unique experience has truly helped me to be a

diplomatic editor, sensitive to the feelings and interest of both parties. Gross says “the

editor is naturally the author’s first and leading advocate in dealing with his or her

publisher,” (7) and I believe this is true. A good editor is employed by a publisher and

has their interests in mind, while also working for and with the author to create the best

writing possible.

Gross also describes an editor as a “therapist-nag.” As editors, we are oftentimes

required to do more for the author than copyediting or line editing; they leave their

personal problems, thoughts, and fears with an author, and look to them for advice and

trust. As a friend, advice has not always been my strong suite. I feel compassion for my

friends, listen to their problems and feel sorrow for their grievances, but often don’t know

what to recommend. A friend recently came to me, telling me his parents were getting a

divorce, all his friends had left him, and he was confused about who he was and the

purpose of his life. I listened to his troubles and truly felt his pain, but didn’t know what

to say in return. I hope that as I grow and develop as a person and an editor, I will be able

to sharpen my advice-giving skills to better help my friends and authors. I think that

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when I am able to give better advice, I will be able to build a stronger relationship with

authors and to establish not only a working relationship, but true friendships with authors

whose work I admire and am inspired by.

Gross says, “the greatest joy and the highest privilege of a creative editor is to

touch life at all points and discover needs still unmet—and find the best authors to meet

them.” (24). Ultimately, this is my goal; to be the best editor I can be, and to work with

writers to create the best writing. I hope that through my experiences with editing I can

be able to achieve the joy that Gross speaks of.

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