Self-Expression First; Profit Second

When I meet with a new client, I clarify early that I do not offer marketing and publishing strategy as explicit editorial services. Why on earth would I say such a thing, you might wonder, and what use to a client are my editorial skills, when book publication or increased website traffic is almost certainly an end goal?

It’s a great question, and I’d like to explain from two perspectives the method behind my mad passion to empower you by not prioritizing marketing.

Por Una Vida Sana, Un Camino Largo. (Outside of Vega de Valcarce on the Camino Francés)

In English: For a healthy life, a long walk. One might also say, For a healthy life, take the long way.

The Utilitarian Answer: Your clearest, most sincere and impactful writing rarely emerges under pressure.

To borrow a concept from Virginia Woolf, resonant self-expression – whether personal or in the name of a small business or foundation – blossoms more reliably in a reflective space than in one of urgency. To be clear, I do not mean that you have to be in a state of utter calm; your writing might properly reflect a lot of emotion. No: I am talking about the mental (and ideally the physical) space you inhabit while crafting and refining the words you want to commit to paper and/or the internet.

Pervasive social and economic forces pester you to think of every moment of your life as one spent as a mercenary; worse, as a product. We are thoroughly infected by the message that we must evaluate and spend our lives in terms of productivity and competitiveness. In other words, there is a super-abundance of pressure upon you to perform your value, even in the realms of creativity and small business enterprise, which we all recall in some dim recess of our minds are supposed to feel warm and personal.

Woolf is famed for her insights into how the demands of the female gender role stifled (still stifle) women’s personhood. Men encounter different pressures. But we can all relate to the oppression of the inner voice by the mighty dollar; the silencing of our true self in the act of bowing to economic demands.

To conclude my first answer to the question, “why do I not prioritize marketing among my editorial services to you?”, I will summarize by saying that

A core aspect of my mission as an editor is to keep the dogs of utilitarian performance at bay.

I seek to cultivate a creative space of communication in which you can ponder, experiment, and polish your message with my assistance.

I want to help you show up for yourself in your written words, and I want to help your readers and customers to have a dynamic and energizing encounter with you,

instead of finding in your book or on your website simply one more search-engine-optimized collection of keywords and generic impressions.

With respect to economic realities, I appreciate that marketing matters…but I believe I can help prepare you to tackle that front more effectively by making such concerns secondary (a little less so if you are a business!) during our work together. I labor to help your voice emerge clearly and eloquently as yours into the world. The world needs the real you, you need the real you, and

When we part, I want it to be the real you who goes on to pursue economic success.

The “Joy of Creation” Answer: Writing Is Travel; Take Your Time and Embrace Your Inner Wayfarer!

This is my less utilitarian, and in my view the far more important, answer to the question “Why do I not stress marketing?” The same forces I mentioned before (along with far too many others, from familial to religious to psychological pressures) conspire to erase from your mind, heart, and body the importance of leisurely play and discovery that is inherent to any writing process. Yes, you read that right: play and discovery – even if you’re writing for a business.

Most people have at some point felt the burn of, “Are we there yet?” Many people have both asked and answered that question, and they have ironically had negative experiences on both ends of such impatience: “When will the plane land?” “When does school get out?” “When will we finish this interview and you tell me whether I got the job?” “When will this date be over?” “When will all the struggle and uncertainty and stress give way to peace, satisfaction, and happiness?” “When will I be signing books on tour instead of writing one?”

I will dare to venture that many of us have also experienced the inverse of this impatience. We’ve had profound, lingering moments in which the acute abundance of a single instant explodes around us. Perhaps in the midst of torrential rain you are huddled uselessly under a ripped awning with three perfect strangers, and you suddenly laugh together at the absurdity and togetherness of life, and your soaked clothing feels delicious rather than cloying against your vibrating skin. Or maybe a toddler tugs you out of your nap to hand you a crumpled piece of paper (the art has escaped the margins onto fingers and cheeks) and as you blink sleep out of your eyes and unfold this earnest gift, the paper reveals among its creases – which extends to the happy creases on the child’s face – the most magnificent work of art you’ve ever seen. At such times we feel we have stumbled into infinity, and we may promise ourselves, “I will not be in such a hurry anymore.”

Then we pick up a pen – or put our hands on the keyboard – and in the midst of an act which is the epitome of suspending time, we begin once more to ask “Is it done yet?”

I make it part of my mission and services to respond to you:

It is okay to slow down! Relish this process. We are discovering your world here; we are discovering you.

This second answer may also require a bit of clarification.

First of all, it certainly matters to have an eye out for a destination during your writing process. The specificity (or elasticity) of that destination will vary by person and project, with business goals probably being more determinative and less changeable than strictly creative ones.

I will qualify this, though, by saying that a certain amount of discovering the true destination* is invaluable to any writing or copywriting project.

Part of my job as your editor is drawing you into the curiosity of adventure and the wonder of discovery while we edit your writing together.

Secondly, I want to respond to a thought you may be having: “but I’m only hiring an editor…I’ve done all my exploration; now I’m wrapping up the project. I just need editing.”

To this I respond that writing is rarely “done,” and certainly not when you enlist an editor. Beyond the fact that writing and art of any kind is rarely “done” at all (and this is not a cause for alarm), in a sense your journey is only beginning when you hire an editor! With an editor, you have taken the brave and provocative step of plunking your self-expression into the dynamic, intimidating, and rewarding space of conversation. How will others hear and respond to your words? Do they understand them? Love them or hate them? Are they moved to action or contemplation? Numerous questions of meaning and impact may be explored with the assistance of an editor.

To paraphrase Jesus, what does it profit a writer if they rush to publish and profit, and miss the rich opportunities for self-discovery and interpersonal connection along the way of creation?

Relish your writing process. Relish the editing process. Work with me, and I will relish it with you and endeavor to support you in getting as much out of your journey as possible.

*Your mileage and tastes may vary, but I recommend the book The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho as food for thought regarding goals and destinations, desires and fulfillment.