Through the Maze
Something came to me the other day. No it wasn’t my dog Bracken wanting yet another chew stick, it was a realisation.
It’s probably best told through a little story.
We need a new car, nothing fancy, just a replacement for our eleven year old faithful Vauxhall (oooh I love that car). Problem is she’s old and needs replacing… it’s tough but has to be done. But I haven’t bought a new car in….oooh ten years (I don’t buy brand new, I like to get the teething problems out of the way first). Now my husband doesn’t drive and isn’t really interested in cars and that’s when the realisation hit me. What I really need is someone to guide me through the maze of car buying possibilities. Someone who knows what they’re doing, who knows what I need and who knows how to help me get just what I want at a price I can afford.
I need someone to hold my hand and guide me.
That’s when I realised that that’s part of what I do for a living as a wordsmith.
I guide people; I help them through the maze of possibilities, that not-so-imaginary walk towards completion that can confuse and irritate the most intelligent of people. Not that I’m more intelligent, I’m just a trained guide.
I’m also a gem polisher. I see the potential in other people’s gems and polish away until they shine.
And if the gem is on a pedestal in the middle of a maze… well, we just work towards it.
I’m a professional hand-holder in the best way… I help take away the confusion, guide the client towards understanding what they really need if they’re not sure, and help them to achieve their goals*. If a client knows what they want straight away, that’s fine too… I work to their specifications.
It’s a great feeling, and one of the reasons I love working in editing. Sometimes the gem is there already and needs only a light polish, and sometimes we need to work our way towards that shiny jewel. But in the end, the maze is always cracked.
Now if only I could figure out that car dilemma…
*If you need help finding your way through the maze – have a document you need help with, or need your gem of a publication polished – you can contact me via my contact page.
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8 Comments on “Through the Maze”
Why Copy Editors Matter
It all depends how many seatbelts you will need in the back seat. After that it’s up to you Sara. And your purse, of course.
We just traded in a ten year old Golf for an almost two year old Polo. If only the ‘Up’ had three seatbelts in the back.
Happy new car! 🙂
We’re buying an 18 month old Zafira (picking it up next week)…but will still have the Astra. I’m considering keeping it… I love that old car 😉
a Vauxhall groupie I see. My son has a Zafira. It is 12 years old now. He doesn’t think he’s ever likely to change, unless his finance situ changes dramatically.
Of course he has a wife and five offspring so a multiseat vehicle is necessary for him.
I realised yesterday that I’ve had a red (pink) Astra for 17 years now…my previous car was also a red (pink) Astra. Love those cars.
The need for a large vehicle now is thanks to two ten year old collies – its not fair to have the old boys squished into the seat beside my daughter on long drives south. They will now travel in style.
Brilliant! Yep. We in America need car-buying guides, too. I love the way you described what the editor or book shepherd, for that matter does. I feel like a Sherpa guide….;)
Brilliant connection, Sara. I do feel like what I’ve seen called a “book shepherd” these days. Or maybe a Sherpa-like guide to successful publication. And good luck with the new car thing; very hard to find good guides for that task.
Yup…just like a Sherpa.
Love the term book shepherd though… I have collies, and a barbour…and a shepherd’s crook. I’m doubly qualified 😉
I’m picking up my new car on Saturday… I did my homework. Let’s hope I’ve chosen correctly. 😉