Editing another person's writing can be difficult. Not only can writers take necessary changes the wrong way, but deciding what changes should be made is difficult for any editor.
Editors must remain objective so they can see the work's flaws, yet they also must feel what is and is not working in the writing, and to do that they must have a closeness to and a genuine understanding of the overall piece.
Whether you find yourself too into or close to a person's writing or too uninterested or distanced from it, remember the ultimate goal of editing is to improve the work as a whole.
This might mean completely restructuring the work or cutting half of it. It also might mean merely editing for typos, grammatical errors, and style issues.
Use these quotes to inspire you, make you laugh or keep you focused on your job as an editor.
Great Quotes on Editing by Writers & Editors
"Art, it seems to me, should simplify finding what conventions of form and what detail one can do without and yet preserve the spirit of the whole – so that all that one has suppressed and cut away is there to the reader's consciousness as much as if it were in type on the page." ~Willa Cather
"Words and sentences are subject to revision; paragraphs and whole compositions are subjects of prevision." ~ Barret Wendell
"Not too many people know who the editor is." ~Julius Schwartz
"Would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of bar-room vernacular, that is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed but attentive." ~Raymond Chandler
"I suppose some editors are failed writers; but so are most writers." ~T.S. Eliot
"I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to say that many readers would be surprised, perhaps shocked, at the questions which some newspaper editors will put to a defenseless woman under the guise of flattery." ~Kate Chopin
"No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft." ~H.G. Wells
"When I'm my own editor, there's very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes." ~Len Wein
"When in doubt, delete it." ~Philip Cosby
Using Great Editing Quotes
Everybody needs inspiration. The greatest words from the greatest editors might be all you need to hear to gain the energy and motivation to edit the work of another or even your own to the best of your abilities.
If you feel like you are changing too much while editing, remember that you should not change the writing to fit your style and taste but instead edit only to make the work itself the best it can be.
Try posting one or two of these quotes that inspire you or remind you of something important to improve upon around your workspace. They can help keep you focused when you are having trouble editing.
Related Reading:
If you enjoyed reading these quotes for editors, you might also enjoy reading more editing quotes, quotes to inspire writers, or inspirational life quotes.
- Great Quotes for Writers Editing Their Own Work
- Inspirational Quotes for Writers
- Inspiring Life Quotes
 |
 |
