An Occupational Hazard of Writers

The Disclaimer: This isn’t so much a disclaimer as a credit. The following was inspired by a conversation with new friend and fellow ex-teacher Robert Hageman. Thanks, Rob!

One of the biggest occupational hazards of being a writer and editor is that everyone thinks they can do the job as well as, if not better than, you can. (Hey, that’s funny -- that was one of my occupational hazards as a teacher, too.) Their reasoning is fine on the surface: I speak the language.

But if truly everyone could do it, there wouldn’t be writing and editing jobs, in which a person’s main duties are writing and editing (I know there are some of those jobs out there, I just know it!). Also, no self-respecting university would actually offer a bachelor’s degree in writing, like I have. It would be like getting a degree in breathing. (If you actually have such a degree, please let me know!)

I’ve also heard the idea that because a person went to college, he can write. And the more he went to college, the better he can write. Well, I went to college too (and majored in writing, remember?). And I know that in college, especially in graduate school, you learn to write in an “academic” way – long, rambling, passive voice that you’re milking for all its worth so you can fill the minimum number of pages required. That’s called bs-ing, not writing.

Being a professional writer and editor also has side effects. I read at least half the day, with a serious “work” concentration. Now, when I read recreationally in the evening, I don’t care to apply the same vigor to the task as I have at work. As a result, I can’t get through a Henry James novel. I read Turn of the Screw last year and was confused by the end of it. Did something happen? Was there a plot?

Despite the risks, I still enjoy the journey into language that one takes as a writer and editor and I will still pursue a full-time career in it. I probably won’t pursue another James novel, though.