The Art of Helping Others

I had a sort of epiphany this semester.

In my creative writing class, we spent a lot of time workshopping our short stories. I made a comment about one girl’s work, and she told me after class that I always had the best responses and that I really helped her see the direction of her story.

My professor also told me this in one of our conferences. “You make great comments,” she said. “It’s often hard for students to find the balance between positive and critical, but you have it.”

It was a great feeling. I love writing, and I’ve always enjoyed the process of editing, but I’ve never really thought about how great it is to be able to help other people love writing as well.

We often see art, especially writing, as a solitary activity, and this can be limiting. When you work on writing with a group, or even just a partner, you make a commitment to help them make their writing the best it can be.

Just like it’s nice to share something you love with other – whether it’s a favorite meal, movie, or song – it’s good to be able to share the love of writing, that feeling you get from someone enjoying your work.

I think this is one of the reasons I want to become an editor. I know the feeling of being told my work is great,and it makes my day to be able to tell people the same thing about their work.

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