The Dream of Becoming An Editor in One Month

Summary

An aspiring editor shares their journey of personal growth through paired-habits, community inspiration, and mentorship, aiming to enhance writing and editing skills within a month.

Abstract

The author of the article describes a transformative journey towards becoming an editor, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between reading and writing as paired-habits that reinforce each other. Drawing inspiration from family, friends, and new connections within the Medium community, the author highlights the importance of continuous improvement and a lifelong learning mindset. The article details the author's role in editing for peers, including weekly interactions and real-time feedback sessions, which have led to a deeper understanding of the editing process. The author reflects on the learning opportunities that come with teaching and the responsibilities of curating content for a Facebook page. Acknowledging the influence of prominent Medium writers and the African proverb about collective progress, the author commits to a collaborative approach to achieving excellence in editing.

Opinions

The author believes in the positive feedback loop of learning, where the act of giving and receiving knowledge is interconnected.
There is a strong emphasis on the value of community support and collaboration in the writing and editing process.
The author values the role of mentorship and peer review, as demonstrated by their active engagement in editing friends' and connections' work.
The concept of 'pseudo-editor' phase is introduced as a practical learning ground for aspiring editors.
The author expresses gratitude towards influential writers on Medium who serve as role models and sources of inspiration.
Teaching is seen as a method of self-improvement and memory enhancement, reinforcing the author's commitment to lifelong learning.
The author's approach to editing is not just about improving others' work but also about fostering a unique perspective and clear communication.
The article suggests that personal connections and shared experiences through writing can lead to stronger bonds within the community.

Complementary Habits Enhance Each Other

I read a lot to improve my writing. These are paired-habits that advance each other. It is the same as becoming an eloquent speaker (orator or podcaster) when you learn to listen intently. At one time, you are at the receiving end of the knowledge transfer, other time you are the source.

That’s how the positive feedback loop of learning works. You get what you give. The converse is also true. It is one of the lessons I gleaned from the theory of karma.

Inspiration from The Community

In April, few more people started publishing on Medium to document their learning journey and add value to their respective community. One of them is my elder brother, some are my college friends, and some are new connections I made last month. I have mentioned them later in this article.

Since I have a lifelong learning mentality to improve my writing continuously, I usually don’t give attention to what speed I am improving because there is no standardised way to gauge it. I am happy I am giving my best in improving every day. That’s what matters — improvement matters.

The Pseudo-Editor Phase

The people I mentioned above reached out to me when they published their first article in April. My elder brother has published four articles this year since March 25. I edited all the pieces multiple times before posting his final draft. We spent quality time on the phone discussing work on every aspect to create blogs with clear communication.

One of my college friends also started blogging. Though his frequency is weekly, I think he may ramp-up the habit to a daily routine. I am elated that he also maintains a regular schedule of working every Sunday to create something from his experience to provide a unique perspective to the community. We meet every Sunday on-call to polish his article with real-time feedback. I don’t know if it is the emotional factor or the loyalty one; he prefers me over using Grammarly. I strongly think it is because we have a lot of fun while editing together.

The next one is a new connection I developed in April. He also writes weekly. We are learning about each other from our work. I also give feedback on his Medium posts. We don’t interact that frequently because the connection is building right now. But, let’s see how close writing can bring us!

There are a few more people who started writing since March 25 (day 1 of nationwide lockdown), and I have read their pieces. Once they are also consistent with their habit, we’ll get to interact more on how to help each other improve.

The Brain at Peak Learning Phase

In the pseudo phase itself, I had established in my mind that I am an editor and will help anyone who wants to improve their writing. While doing so, I will learn from them too. Teaching is also a way of expanding your knowledge bank. It improves your memory and strengthens self-confidence.

Now that I am an editor of my friend’s Facebook page, I will have a lot of responsibilities in future in reviewing, updating and curating more content for our page. Not only that, but I will even share my articles there too. It is a new habit on my to-do list of learnings. Thank You, Thomas Oppong, for telling about the relevance of lifelong learning in the continually changing world.

Now that I have become an editor the way I wanted to start from my close network of friends, I strive to become outstanding in this journey by learning from some of the top editors and writers on Medium. These people are giving me head start: Tim Denning, Ali Mese, Michael Thompson, Tom Kuegler, Sinem Günel, Shannon Ashley and others whose articles I read on regular basis. I like their writing style and how they establish a deep connection with the reader with expressive words and structured content.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb

This article belongs to a series of posts I am publishing in this 100-days streak. Navigate to the end of the article 22 for the references from day 23 onwards. If you would like to read the ones before day 22, here is the first one that documents them in the end.

~ S.