Editing For Fun And (not) Money
So what do you do when your great-uncle Ted asks you to look over his latest endeavor into the novel-writing biz? What do you do when your best friend’s mother needs someone to “look over and edit” her newsletter for the Red Cross? When you’ve been volunteered to be the editor-at-large for every Tom, Dick and Uncle Harry, just how much editing should you do?

I know what you’re saying – “Stop working for free!” But if you possess a pulse and a pen, you’re going to be asked to do the occasional favor for your organization, your relative who used to give you $5 for Halloween or for your mother. You’re not going to turn down your mother, are you? (If so, tell me how you do it without the guilt trip.)

I just got elected to edit copy for a group I belong to. I was asked in email with the attachment delivered at the same time. Back out of that one, I dare you! Because this group is near and dear to my heart and because this is a close friend, I took it on. And I gave that document the lightest editing imaginable.

Why? Because let’s face it – the average relative/friend/acquaintance does not really want to be edited as much as to get a bit of recognition for his or her efforts. So I fixed misspellings, replaced commas, introduced transitions and reworded just one or two very unclear sentences. Beyond that, I dare not tread.

My advice – if you find yourself cornered with a freebie like this, go lightly with the red pen. VERY lightly. These are not seasoned pros who are used to editor’s marks. These are people you’ve had Thanksgiving meals with or have chatted with at parties. Any attempt to teach the one-timer the difference between telling a story and showing is going to end badly. You’re going to get a reputation (undeserved, too) of being a bit heartless and of not knowing what you’re doing (that’s the author’s attempt to save some face). If it is not utterly critical that this person understand the basic mechanics of it, and if you’re not getting paid, don’t do it.