It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago if someone had told me that writing would be my primary source of income, I’d think they were out of their minds. I didn’t spend so much money going to engineering school to be a writer, you know!
And yet, here I am, loving every bit of it too!
But let’s be honest, writing isn’t easy. Not for me, at least. Some time ago I wrote a post on how to write 5000 words every day. Trust me, this didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of time and effort to get to this place. After I launched The Side Blogger, I spent hours searching for things like, “how to write blog posts“, “how to write a good introduction“, “blog post formatting“, etc. It feels surreal now that in the months that followed, I ended up writing blog posts on the exact topics myself, in this very blog!
But anyway, today’s post is not about how to write a blog post—it’s about something slightly different. I want to talk about whether or not you should seek professional help with your writing, how to know if you need help, and how to hire someone if you’ve decided it is time to hire an editor or a writing coach and which of the two would be the best investment for you.
I launched The Side Blogger in June 2018, but I started writing perhaps a year or so before that on Medium. I also tried to write a book blog, but writing reviews wasn’t much fun for me. So I quit in just a matter of months. I should say that I started taking writing seriously right around when I decided to start this blog. And since then, I’ve worked on my writing almost entirely on my own.
Content
The difference between an editor and a writing coach
First, you need to determine whether you need a writing coach or an editor. So, let’s start there!
Who is an editor?
Most people are familiar with the term — editor. An editor is someone who takes a draft and then whips it into shape. They’ll go line by line, word by word, and change, fix, and rearrange things to convert a draft into a publishable piece. All authors go through this process. Nobody ever publishes a book without having it run by a professional editor.
“But that’s for authors, what about bloggers, Maliha?”
And, who is a writing coach?
Well, you see, writing coaches are not like editors. They do not go over a draft word for word or line by line. It’s not their job to polish your unrefined, coarse writing. Instead, writing coaches will take a look at your overall writing style and tone, and they’ll help you recognize your shortcomings as well as strengths. Your job then is to take their advice and implement it in your writing.
So, do you need an editor? Or a writing coach?
Things have gone pretty well during these years if I say so myself. I’m never going to win the Pulitzer, but from what my readers and subscribers tell me, I seem to have a knack for teaching with my words. Basically, I’m a total blogger material; my writing has evolved around the world of blogging. So, when I tried my hands at writing essays, things didn’t go as planned.
Writing blog posts have a very distinct style — short sentences, short paragraphs, complex ideas broken down into sections using headers and subheaders… all that fancy stuff. Essays are totally different. While blog posts are personal. Essays, even when they’re personal, are devoid of the certain liberation with breaking of the traditional writing rules we bloggers take for granted.
I stopped writing anything akin to an essay after my first semester in college when I had to take an English Composition class. It was mandatory, and I never knew why we had to take that course as an engineer. For most of my professional life, I have written some form of technical reports, and those are yet again a whole different beast.
Some advice for hiring your first writing coach or an editor
First, you need to determine whether you need a writing coach or an editor. So, let’s start there!
Consider hiring a writing coach rather than an editor
Most people are familiar with the term — editor. An editor is someone who takes a draft and then whips it into shape. They’ll go line by line, word by word, and change, fix, and rearrange things to convert a draft into a publishable piece. All authors go through this process. Nobody ever publishes a book without having it run by a professional editor.
“But that’s for authors, what about bloggers, Maliha?”
Seek help with a few pieces; not all of them
Well, you see, writing coaches are not like editors. They do not go over a draft word for word or line by line. It’s not their job to polish your unrefined, coarse writing. Instead, writing coaches will take a look at your overall writing style and tone, and they’ll help you recognize your shortcomings as well as strengths. Your job then is to take their advice and implement it in your writing.
Seek help specifically with the kind of content you need help with
Things have gone pretty well during these years if I say so myself. I’m never going to win the Pulitzer, but from what my readers and subscribers tell me, I seem to have a knack for teaching with my words. Basically, I’m a total blogger material; my writing has evolved around the world of blogging. So, when I tried my hands at writing essays, things didn’t go as planned.
Writing blog posts have a very distinct style — short sentences, short paragraphs, complex ideas broken down into sections using headers and subheaders… all that fancy stuff. Essays are totally different. While blog posts are personal. Essays, even when they’re personal, are devoid of the certain liberation with breaking of the traditional writing rules we bloggers take for granted.
I stopped writing anything akin to an essay after my first semester in college when I had to take an English Composition class. It was mandatory, and I never knew why we had to take that course as an engineer. For most of my professional life, I have written some form of technical reports, and those are yet again a whole different beast.
Are you trying to improve as a writer?
I give you this background to show you where my strengths and weaknesses lie. Essays are and have always been my weakness. I want to write them, I want to get better at them, but I just can’t figure out how to do them justice. That’s why, when I decided I wanted to branch out and try publishing on magazines (online and/or print) I hired my first writing coach.
In the rest of this post, I want to talk about some of the common mental roadblocks around hiring professional help with writing especially as online content creators, how to overcome them, and finally, I’ll wrap it up by giving you some tips for hiring your first writing coach or editor.
Are you writing for an audience?
After working with my first writing coach/editor, Roz, on my essays, my only regret was not doing so much, much earlier in my writing career. Now I’m just so grateful I took this chance and sought professional help. I hope you’ll give yourself the same chance that I did. Even if you’re not writing books, as long as other people are reading your words, it’s your duty to make those words worth your readers’ time as much as possible. A writing coach or an editor can help you with that. So go ahead and hire one!
Are you trying to make money with your writing?
Also, if you’ve ever worked with a writing coach or editor, I’d love to hear about your experience and how they’ve helped shape your writing. Did you notice a significant difference in the way your audience reacts with you before vs. after? Share with me in the comments!
Looking for a writing coach specifically for your blog? I help my clients identify how they can write more persuasive blog posts that connect with readers, write with SEO in mind without losing their unique voice and the quality of their writing, and format their posts in a way that makes it easier for their specific audience to read, relate to, and engage with. You can book a session here!
