Written by Martin Wiles

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Neither my wife nor I had ever been on a cruise. My wife had always wanted to take one. Me? Not so much. Water and I have a love-hate relationship. I don’t mind it when it comes to washing my hands or taking a shower, but beyond that, I’m not interested in such things as swimming or boating. At nine, I almost drowned in a friend’s swimming pool. 

But back to the cruise. After COVID-19, cruises—along with almost everything else—changed. Security is tight, and a person must have the correct documents. Unfortunately, our passports had expired several years before. Therefore, we opted for the Real ID and birth certificate route to avoid incurring the passport expense again. Although a little easier and quicker, this route involved taking the correct documents to the local Department of Motor Vehicles and paying $25 each for what appeared to be a regular driver’s license but carried additional privileges.

Then came the day of the cruise, and we hoped we had everything we needed. My wife researched the information and talked with those who had cruised before. When we arrived, we made our way to the designated station—after passing through security, of course—and presented our documents. Thankfully, they sufficed.

Next, the attendant issued our boarding passes, which would now serve as the proper documents. We could put the others away.

Just as we need the right documents for a cruise, we need the right documents for our writing and editing journey. Success in these realms does not happen automatically. But what are these essential documents?

Correct Connections

I never cared much for brown-nosers in the work world—those who tried to get ahead by hanging around with the right people—but they had one thing right: we need connections. Writing and editing are simultaneously a solo endeavor and a collaborative one. We write and edit in isolation, but neither will go far without help from others—critique partners, writing groups, editors, friends, supporters, mentors, coaches, and yes, God. Joining a writing group or attending at least one writing conference each year is a good place to begin.

Accepting Attitude

We waste our time by making connections if we’re not open to suggestions. “Every editor needs an editor” is a common saying among editors, but every writer also needs an editor—professional or otherwise, depending on what we are doing with our work—and we need other writers. Thinking our writing and editing is perfect will lead us to many dead ends in both industries.

Cultivated Craft

In addition to teaching English, I am a freelance editor and writer. But I don’t know everything—and I’m smart enough to admit it. I subscribe to websites that offer insights on writing and editing, and I read books on both crafts. No one reaches perfection in either field, regardless of how long they have been doing it, especially when the writing, editing, and publishing worlds are constantly changing. We all need to find ways to cultivate our craft. 

So, wherever you are in your writing or editing journey, don’t sell yourself short. Make sure you have the right documents.

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