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.