In case you’ve ever wondered
What goes on in an editor’s brain,
Her desire to conquer syntax
Can cause an awful strain.
Β
A typo, a misspelling,
A hyphen out of place
Will etch a deep, deep crease
Upon an editor’s face.
Β
She raises her red pen,
Or taps the delete key;
To her eyes, poor grammar
Seems like profanity.
Β
Telling instead of showing,
A clichΓ© here or there,
And a huge chunk of backstory
Makes an editor pull her hair.
Β
Her mind rebuilds a sentence
That once ran awkwardly,
For the power of prose is lost
In a segment so wordy.
Β
She yearns to help the author,
To make his message glisten,
In hopes that readers will soon
With rapt attention listen.
Β
As she pauses in her work,
She bows her head in faith,
Praying to the Lord above
For wisdom and for strength.
Β
Although her hand is gentle,
And her encouragement heard,
The author sometimes rejects
Her suggestions as absurd.
Β
Change often hurts and stabs;
It’s tempting to resist pain,
But a person stuck in old ways
Won’t discover what is to gain.
Β
For stories are like people,
With God as editor divine;
His Word pierces hearts
So that the light of Christ may shine.
Β
Whether writer or editor,
The calling is the same:
To lead others to the Lord,
And glorify His name.
Brianna Storm Hilvety has been a professional editor for seven years, a writer for more than a decade, and a bibliophile from the moment she pronounced her first syllable. Although she began as a writer, her penchant for noticing typos and obsession with syntax compelled her to wield a red pen rather than a black one. She loves aiding writers in achieving their aspirations to captivate and change the world through fiction. Interacting with these passionate, brave souls bolsters her belief that even the quietest whisper or the tiniest mark on a page can bring comfort, conviction, and cheer to others.
Wow!!! This started out humorous and ended with a great message. I love it, Brianna! π
Thanks! I had fun writing it and infusing a deeper meaning into it. π
Itβs beautiful. I really enjoyed reading it.