by Kathy Ide
I'm often asked how I broke into the business of freelance editing. I first considered the possibility after being laid off from my office job for multiple tendon injuries. But my Workers Compensation rehabilitation coordinator told me that my dream of making a living as an editor was "impossible." Praise the Lord, God specializes in things we think are impossible!
"If you could do anything for a living, what would it be?" my husband asked when I lost my office job due to tendon injuries.
"Write," I answered instantly. I'd been writing in my spare time and had sold some articles, short stories, and play scripts. "But I can't make a living at it...at least not yet."
"What would your second choice be?" he asked.
Almost immediately I responded, "Helping other writers."
A friend of mine ran a critique service, and I'd been doing some work for her. I found it extremely rewarding, and the authors I worked with raved about how much better their manuscripts read with my changes. I'd always been able to easily spot typos and errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling. I seemed to have a knack for seeing how someone's writing could be tighter, where a scene needed more "showing" instead of "telling," and how to improve character development, consistency, and pace. And I loved encouraging other writers.
My husband said I should see if I could make a living at that. I approached my Workers Compensation coordinator with the idea.
Her brow puckered. "No one would hire an editor without a college degree. Sorry, but that's impossible."
Believing that God specializes in things people think are "impossible," I accepted the challenge. I have now been a full-time freelance editor for seven years. I work at home, with a wonderfully flexible schedule, and I make more money now than before. I love my work, and I wouldn't go back to my old job for anything!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kathy Ide edits, critiques, and proofreads fiction and nonfiction manuscripts including short stories, play scripts, screenplays, devotionals, articles, and book-length works. She also speaks at writers conferences across the country. She is the author of Christian Drama Publishing, Polishing the PUGS: Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling, and the soon-to-be-released Typing without Pain. Her works have been published in numerous magazines, compilations, and script collections. For more information, check out her Web site.
How I Became a Freelance Editor by Kathy Ide © 2005
