Because I am a passionate book reader, my hope is to one day become an editor. I think that that it is a good career choice for me because I know that my love for reading will give me a love for this career, as well. I remember that I started reading at a pretty young age, and I haven’t stopped since then. I read everything from romance to mystery to horror to science fiction and everything in-between. When I was asked what I want to do when I grow up, my first thought was that I want to do something that I love, but I wasn’t sure what. Then a light bulb went off in my head, and I realized I can make a career out of my love for books. Ever since I came to that realization, I have been trying to learn as much as I can about the job. But there are many things I would still like to know about becoming and being an editor. For example, which would an editor prefer—to work freelance or to work for a company and why? What kind of skills does one need to become an editor? Is there a need for...

Several months ago one of the editors in our group asked if and, if so, why an editor needs an editor for her creative writing. I’ve been mulling the question over and have a few ideas. Yes, an editor does need outside help. As an author, an editor is usually too close to her own story. She is living her story so intimately that she may not see either its strengths or its weaknesses clearly, like a mother with her child. When I write a poem I can generally edit its grammatical and stylistic elements almost immediately but am usually surprised at the various interpretations that my readers come up with. I have no intention of saying what many of them comment that they see in my brief creative works. The broader canvas escapes me because I’m so entranced by the smell of the honeysuckle I’m describing. The phenomenon is compounded when I write a novel. Sometimes I get sidetracked from my central plot and need someone to rein me in. Or I get lost in the details that I find so interes...