I am still smiling to hear the stories people sent me and so grateful for you all. Editors are amazing people. The poll results show that 44% of you are curious about pattern technical editing but haven't yet started editing. This email is for you. (If you are already editing, more down in the p.s. for you.)
Hi Reader,
You might be giving the side eye at that latest pattern you bought, why yes, all patterns *do* need to be edited. But maybe you also are wondering:
Could I be a crochet or knitting tech editor?
Maybe you have worked in a yarn shop and have helped customers one-on-one with clarity issues in a pattern, or fixed outright errors and felt energized by it.
Maybe you are an avid maker that has worked many of the most popular patterns in the last decade, all while finding typos and stitch count errors in them. And you find yourself re-writing them occasionally.
Maybe you are a maker who by day is a math teacher, an accountant, an engineer, a writer, an editor, and you would always rather be working with yarn.
But let's go deeper than just circumstance, shall we? Here's a short list of the universal qualities I have observed in all my colleagues (who, by the way, come from every walk of life and from all over the globe):
- You have working knowledge of the coded language of your craft. You have worked a lot of patterns, and you can recognize a well-crafted design, a smooth playout of the instructions in your handwork, and you appreciate a clever, innovative way to impart something that may possibly be centuries old.
- You understand the math behind the stitches. While working with the yarn and patterns, you have intuited those shaping increases and decreases, and you know how to easily fix stuff when you miss a yarn over. Or two.
- You have (at least) basic experience with spreadsheet software. Fun fact about me: I had barely any experience with spreadsheets, and had only just begun to use formulae when I started editing, but just that little knowledge gave me lots of room to grow. Maybe you have extensive Excel experience--this is an editorial strength! And I bow to you!
- You notice things other people skim over--those little details. In your immediate world, mentioning these casual observations might be seen as a fault or a weakness. You notice when the paint doesn't match, when a haircut is uneven at the back, when a comma or semi-colon is used improperly. It's a superpower, my friend.
- You have excellent communication skills. You can almost convey tone in an email, you maven, you. You know just how to ask a question to encourage and get someone thinking. You are thoughtful, kind, and careful with words.
- You are willing to learn. No one can adequately prepare for every type of pattern problem we will ever encounter. So, you know exactly where to go to get the info and aren't afraid to dive into a new situation you haven't seen before.
- You are not stuck on your way of doing things. Probably the most important characteristic in all the great editors I know is that they take on the designer's viewpoint, molding themselves into the style and the wording that fits their client best, even to the point of filling in the gaps the designer doesn't see. You are this kind of person, and you save your pet peeves about pattern writing for a conversation over drinks with me.
Did you spot yourself in this list? If so, I would love to hear what thing most feels like you...and if you think these things show the makings of a technical editor.
Today is a special day that I celebrate every year. Let me take you back. [insert squiggly lines through your mental image]
September 24, 2015. 11:09 AM. I am pacing in my kitchen and my heart is racing. It's been six days since I found the page on a website called Joeli's Kitchen that described a technical editing course for knitting patterns.
I am deciding to buy. It's not an easy step.
How will I find time to do this? I am 11 years into homeschooling 3 rambunctious kids and 3 semesters into a university-level copyediting certificate. My time for anything else is so limited.
How will I find clients? I haven't even found my local yarn shop yet and I don't know many knitters, let alone designers.
Does this mean I will have to start a business? No one in my family or friends is a successful entrepreneur, not even close.
I didn't really care. I was deep-to-the-core excited to not have a future of editing medical white papers, political analysis, or poorly-written fiction. I was thrilled that there actually was an opportunity to edit something related to the yarn craft I was obsessed with. And involved math. And not teaching it to teenagers.
And I realized I was willing to pay (what was a lot of money for me at the time) to get it.
I hit the "Buy Now" button.
Eleven years ago today (woot woot) this action changed my life forever. There was no way for me to know then where I would be now: editor of more than 1000 patterns, multiple books, and many pattern collections, working with amazing editing colleagues, pattern grader and instructor, book author, and ultimately, owner of The Tech Editor Hub that started in Joeli Caparco's kitchen. I for sure made back what I invested.
So, I want to ask you: where are you now?
Are you also in your kitchen, wondering what is next?
What questions are burning in your head when you think about starting to edit?
Full disclosure: I have been busy behind scenes building out new spaces for both Learn to Tech Edit Crochet and Learn to Tech Edit Knitting (I'm teaching it this time!). I would love to hear what your top questions are about editing patterns. You can send them to me here <<< in this form or just hit reply.
And starting next Monday, September 28, we're running two free workshops on what it takes to become an editor. Anyone is welcome and there is no obligation to buy anything at the end. Find out more and sign up here (choose your craft!):
Level Up with Crochet Tech Editing
Level Up with Knitting Tech Editing
Love and yarn,
Sarah
p.s. If you are already an editor, hang in, the next email is for you. I've finished my list of what I have noticed in the industry in the last year.
p.p.s. Today I hosted a workshop in the Community today on how to find clients on LinkedIn. You can join us here and watch the replay. We'd love to have you.