Sometimes friends over-step their boundaries. Sometimes friends start taking advantage of your time. Sometimes rules need to be established.
I recently met an elderly lady. I really like her and we hit it off and became instant friends. As I got to know her and learned of her health challenges she started calling me to help her, day and night. I even spent the night with her trying to calm her when she experienced side effects from a new medication.
I quickly discovered that I needed to establish rules for what I would and wouldn't do for her. Or, I'd loose my freedom.
Being a writing coach means that I need to set personal boundaries for what I can do for writers. Although I could re-write the entire document and give it to them, and I've done that before, writers won't learn unless they re-write the paper themselves. That's when they learn the most.
As I end this editing class, I find that my outlook on editing has changed considerably. I once thought it meant showing off my editing skills. I've since learned that it's not about me at all. Its all about helping other writers learn to excel in a wonderful skill. The skills of writing well.
I know what you mean about boundaries. I have to make sure I don’t go overboard when editing. The point is to teach others the skills we have learned so that they can become better writers.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! I thought about the boundaries but I too learned to see my ability to edit as helping.
ReplyDeleteI loved how you tied being an editing coach into a personal experience. That really puts it into perspective. What a cool experience!
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