Written by Megan Ryan
“I’m looking for a writer …” When I got messages like this from potential clients, despite advertising myself as a copyeditor and proofreader, my initial reaction was to feel somewhat insulted. Did they think of all freelance editors as aspiring (or struggling) writers rather than professionals in their own right?
Growing up, I did have dreams of being an author from time to time, but I never seriously considered it as a career. I did some reporting in college, but starting with a blank page was not as appealing as improving something that was already written. I felt confident about becoming an editor.
As I made more connections in the publishing world, I found there are many gifted editors who are also writers and felt a bit intimidated by them as well as embarrassed to be just an editor. Did people who could write and edit have more to offer authors? Was my editing less valuable than theirs?
When I am feeling looked down upon or questioning my own worth, I need to remind myself of Romans 12:4–6 (NIV):
“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”
While these verses might be specifically about spiritual gifts, they give me perspective on my professional skills and talents as well. There is a role for everyone in the body of Christ, whether they are a writer/editor or strictly an editor. Everyone’s skills can be used to further the kingdom in various ways.
I don’t want to be the foot who thinks it doesn’t belong to the body because it isn’t a hand or the eye who thinks it doesn’t need the hand (1 Corinthians 12:15, 21). I want to be proud of where God has placed me in his body and in my profession and be grateful for others’ positions as well.
In 2023, I wasn’t sure I belonged at a conference for Christian writers and other creatives that a friend invited me to. I cringed internally when I was repeatedly asked what I wrote and probably said, “I’m just an editor.” But this year, I owned my role and more confidently answered, “Actually, I’m an editor.” If you have also found yourself thinking of yourself as just an editor, I suggest you ask God to help you see how you fit in the bigger picture of the body and confirm the part he’s called you to play. I also recommend listening to the PENCON 2024 keynote from Edwina Perkins, “An Editor’s Identity Crisis.”
Megan Ryan provides copyediting and proofreading to help authors feel confident about sharing their writing with the world. She has copyedited and/or proofread more than 150 books for self-publishing authors and hybrid publishers. She resides in Michigan with her husband and three children. You can contact her at mryanediting@gmail.com or find more information at https://mryanediting.wixsite.com/mryanediting.
Amen, and thank you, Megan! I deeply resonate with all of that. While I would like to try my hand at writing a book someday, and even have some ideas in that direction, I have often told people I am a better editor than a writer. Thank you for the reminder to be comfortable pressing into that.
You are welcome! It was a message I needed to hear again as well.
Hi Megan. Well said. I’m right there with you. Editors need writers as much as writers need editors. I do write some, but I struggle with it. Editing comes so much easier for me than writing. Isn’t it funny that writers apparently don’t feel the same intimidation or embarrassment because they aren’t good at editing themselves? After all, they like to hire us! Thanks for bringing this topic into the light of day.
That’s a good point that writers don’t seem to feel the same pressure to be good at both things! Or at least we aren’t aware of it. We definitely need each other.
Thank you, Megan, for writing this!
You are welcome, Jeanette!