We're Not Your Enemies — A Note From Editors to Writers

A little honesty from someone who reads your work as carefully as you write it.

I am going to be a little honest here.

All editors are writers, but not every writer is an editor

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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That is not a superiority statement. It is simply a fact of work. Editing does not only mean grammatical correction or sentence correction. It is giving thoughtful consideration to what the other person is thinking, knowing their purpose in doing so and ensuring that it gets into the world in the most ideal manner.

Recently, I have been getting numerous emails and messages on platforms such as LinkedIn and X. Some are kind, some are confused. And others, being quite frank, have some frustration that is a bit out of place.

So I felt like saying this.

We are not your enemies.

We care about your piece as much as you do.

We read your article line by line. We can see the effort, the emotion, and the intent. Not every article that you write flows through us like a task. It stays with us in small ways. We remember lines, and we ponder over your thoughts. Your words are part of our day, also.

We are not distant people sitting somewhere, rejecting work without thought.

We are humans who are doing so because we really care about writing. Simultaneously, writers do not always see things.

We are not flagging the use of AI to criticize you. It is to save you. It is never a bad idea to take care of it in the first place before it grows into bigger troubles in the future. That is no step, that is not against you. It is for your work.

We correct numerous grammatical mistakes because your message should be made clear. Sometimes we fix things that could have been avoided. There are cases when a publication tag is absent. In other cases, formatting is necessary. We do it, however, without complaining, because we want your piece to go out properly.

However, there are some differences between correction and expectation.

We are not here to write your writing but to assist you.

At times, the tone of messages we get loses the fact that there is a person on the other end. Someone reading carefully. A person attempting to assist. A person who has to deal with several pieces and pay attention to every one of them.

And that is where I want to pause.

I do not want you to sympathize.

I am requesting understanding.

Since the relationship between a writer and an editor is not supposed to be a struggle. It must come like teamwork. We are both working toward the same thing, making your words reach people in the best possible form.

We are not here to block you.

We are here to polish, defend, and guard the work you put your heart into.

I hope you will remember this the next time you are frustrated.

We are not against you. We are on your side, even if it does not always feel that way in the moment. We care too, and more than anything, we care as much as you do.

Because behind every edited piece is not just correction, but someone quietly making sure your words are taken seriously.

From Your Editor….

✒️ Written by Khushi Chouhan

Hey, we’re friends now that you read my thoughts, that counts.

So give 50 claps, buy me **a coffee**, and let’s keep surviving chaos together💫