The Intimidating Truth - What It Means To Be Both an Editor and a Writer
An honest inside look into owning a complex identity
Being both an editor and a writer is perhaps the most intimidating identity for people in the creative Market to own. It is a difficult image to uphold, and one that takes double the upkeep. You’re not only advertising yourself, i.e. your education, your expertise, your background, but you also have to advertise your editing business in addition to the work you write. What's more, our writing is expected to be free of errors; at least that's certainly what many people seem to believe when they hear the phrase “I am an editor and a writer”. They don't seem to realize even editors who are writers need their own editors. After all, we only catch so much when it's our own work.
Personally I can actively feel the pressure of needing to play both roles when I'm writing a novel, posting to twitter, or adding to my many blogs. Certainly don't get me started on what it felt like creating my editing site. Or worse yet, my author portfolio. Writing this is especially scary! But why? After many hours of contemplation, I have concluded a large portion of this fear comes from my inability to turn off my "editor's voice" when I'm writing. I hear this voice inside my head constantly singing: "You used the wrong grammar there" and "Is that an extraneous comma I see? Better re-check your handbook!" As this nagging often results in writer's block, I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and plunge into my "writer's voice", the one that flows carefree and quickly, almost too quickly for me to keep up. Which of course results in errors. So goes the vicious cycle. God forbid too I miss something in the end, publish my article, then face criticism because I'm "supposed to be an editor and a writer. Why are there mistakes?" (Yes, I've heard that before.)
To avoid pitfalls such as these, it has been suggested I should consider having a pen name for my novels and writing-related ventures, use a different name for my editing services, and maybe go by yet another name for all my other personal interactions. Unfortunately it wasn’t taken into account how this would play out in the world of social media. Or advertising.
While a viable option in certain contexts, an individual portraying a different persona based dependently upon their daily activities can give a fraudulent appearance. As current day market trends show you are your logo, meaning people get much further in the marketing and advertising game if they have a consistent identity, especially when multiple ventures are in play. But that’s not the only thing to consider.
According to the article Author Pen Names: 5 Reasons they’re a Bad Idea in the Digital Age, "Facebook won’t let you have personal accounts under fake names, so most of your names would be shut out of interacting on Facebook" (Allen, 2017). Likewise, LinkedIn requires you have your own personal profile with your picture and legal name before you can create your own business page. As for Blogger and most other blogging sites, you can attach multiple blogs to one email, the profile of which will be shared across each blog. I have my “Writing it Out...” blog, my “Oaktree Editing Services” site, and now my author blog & portfolio; each blog contains my semi-personal information, all featuring the same photo. Fortunately Blogger offers a feature on each individual blog allowing removal of the profile, but most people want to know who they will be working with in regards to my editing business, and those looking to hire freelance writers prefer to see a face to an article. A profile image then becomes a necessity.
But let's say I wanted to keep each blog separated from each other, therefore having the freedom to change each profile; I would need to set up individual emails for all three blogs. It’s trouble enough keeping up with the one email, let alone three! I can't imagine having multiple social media accounts for my supposed different personas, either. And what about hoping they never get mingled together? Hoping someone from my editing business doesn't see my writing? Vice versa would be a bonus, but I would have already alienated a large portion of my clientele by keeping my editing business separated.
Yes, it gets messy. Fast.
Granted there is a rather daunting reason why one should consider keeping your editing business separated from their writing craft, and their personal life separated from both: A close friend so casually reminded me it’s possible my upcoming book—or any future articles I may write—could either ruin me as a writer via content failure, or be overly controversial and end my editing business. Now if I write something controversial enough it ends me as an editor, obviously I should go into journalism. As for my writing—it's like I've said before, "If my book tanks, I want it to be because of my content, not because of bad writing. Or a lack of editing."
However, I can't deny these thoughts have haunted me. They still do. What if I write something so utterly controversial, or a book so horrible, it ruins my entire writing and editing career in a single fell swoop? I'm not sure what this career-ruining thing would be, but unfortunately in this media-driven day and age, it doesn't seem to take much....
Many wonder after all this why I am willing to go to such great lengths and take potentially career-ruining risks in order to keep my writing and editing integrated. For me the answer is simple: Yes, I don't want the additional work it would require of me to keep my editing, writing and personal life separated, but it's more than that. Being an editor has been a lifelong dream of mine; I have been writing since before I could write dating back to when I was only three years-old, filling entire notebooks with mere scribbles. Twenty-some years later I am a writer and I am an editor; both labels are very much a part of my identity in such a way I can't separate them. I won’t. Yes I run risks letting these two halves entwine, but they're risks I gladly take because I cannot imagine living any other way. After all, it's like the quote says, "If you want it, go for it. Take a risk. Don’t always play it safe or you’ll die wondering” –Anonymous.
Personally I can actively feel the pressure of needing to play both roles when I'm writing a novel, posting to twitter, or adding to my many blogs. Certainly don't get me started on what it felt like creating my editing site. Or worse yet, my author portfolio. Writing this is especially scary! But why? After many hours of contemplation, I have concluded a large portion of this fear comes from my inability to turn off my "editor's voice" when I'm writing. I hear this voice inside my head constantly singing: "You used the wrong grammar there" and "Is that an extraneous comma I see? Better re-check your handbook!" As this nagging often results in writer's block, I have to remind myself to take a deep breath and plunge into my "writer's voice", the one that flows carefree and quickly, almost too quickly for me to keep up. Which of course results in errors. So goes the vicious cycle. God forbid too I miss something in the end, publish my article, then face criticism because I'm "supposed to be an editor and a writer. Why are there mistakes?" (Yes, I've heard that before.)
To avoid pitfalls such as these, it has been suggested I should consider having a pen name for my novels and writing-related ventures, use a different name for my editing services, and maybe go by yet another name for all my other personal interactions. Unfortunately it wasn’t taken into account how this would play out in the world of social media. Or advertising.
While a viable option in certain contexts, an individual portraying a different persona based dependently upon their daily activities can give a fraudulent appearance. As current day market trends show you are your logo, meaning people get much further in the marketing and advertising game if they have a consistent identity, especially when multiple ventures are in play. But that’s not the only thing to consider.
According to the article Author Pen Names: 5 Reasons they’re a Bad Idea in the Digital Age, "Facebook won’t let you have personal accounts under fake names, so most of your names would be shut out of interacting on Facebook" (Allen, 2017). Likewise, LinkedIn requires you have your own personal profile with your picture and legal name before you can create your own business page. As for Blogger and most other blogging sites, you can attach multiple blogs to one email, the profile of which will be shared across each blog. I have my “Writing it Out...” blog, my “Oaktree Editing Services” site, and now my author blog & portfolio; each blog contains my semi-personal information, all featuring the same photo. Fortunately Blogger offers a feature on each individual blog allowing removal of the profile, but most people want to know who they will be working with in regards to my editing business, and those looking to hire freelance writers prefer to see a face to an article. A profile image then becomes a necessity.
But let's say I wanted to keep each blog separated from each other, therefore having the freedom to change each profile; I would need to set up individual emails for all three blogs. It’s trouble enough keeping up with the one email, let alone three! I can't imagine having multiple social media accounts for my supposed different personas, either. And what about hoping they never get mingled together? Hoping someone from my editing business doesn't see my writing? Vice versa would be a bonus, but I would have already alienated a large portion of my clientele by keeping my editing business separated.
Yes, it gets messy. Fast.
Granted there is a rather daunting reason why one should consider keeping your editing business separated from their writing craft, and their personal life separated from both: A close friend so casually reminded me it’s possible my upcoming book—or any future articles I may write—could either ruin me as a writer via content failure, or be overly controversial and end my editing business. Now if I write something controversial enough it ends me as an editor, obviously I should go into journalism. As for my writing—it's like I've said before, "If my book tanks, I want it to be because of my content, not because of bad writing. Or a lack of editing."
However, I can't deny these thoughts have haunted me. They still do. What if I write something so utterly controversial, or a book so horrible, it ruins my entire writing and editing career in a single fell swoop? I'm not sure what this career-ruining thing would be, but unfortunately in this media-driven day and age, it doesn't seem to take much....
Many wonder after all this why I am willing to go to such great lengths and take potentially career-ruining risks in order to keep my writing and editing integrated. For me the answer is simple: Yes, I don't want the additional work it would require of me to keep my editing, writing and personal life separated, but it's more than that. Being an editor has been a lifelong dream of mine; I have been writing since before I could write dating back to when I was only three years-old, filling entire notebooks with mere scribbles. Twenty-some years later I am a writer and I am an editor; both labels are very much a part of my identity in such a way I can't separate them. I won’t. Yes I run risks letting these two halves entwine, but they're risks I gladly take because I cannot imagine living any other way. After all, it's like the quote says, "If you want it, go for it. Take a risk. Don’t always play it safe or you’ll die wondering” –Anonymous.
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