If you’ve never been in this situation, let me tell you: there’s nothing quite as humbling as thinking you’ve nailed an article only to then stare at a document filled with strikethroughs and queries.
If you’ve never been in this situation, let me tell you: there’s nothing quite as humbling as thinking you’ve nailed an article only to then stare at a document filled with strikethroughs and queries. And yet, this is what makes stories better—the back and forth between writers and editors, the scrutiny of each noun and verb, the care over the lilt of a sentence. All of which is to say that in my two decades as a writer and editor, I’m still learning how to write well. It’s a craft that one can always improve on. Of course, I’ve learned some tricks along the way.