Holding Myself Accountable
The other day at work, my boss and I were interviewing a potential employee, and we asked him what kind of writing experience he had. He mentioned that in college, his professor presented him with an opportunity to be a “sensitivity editor.” My ears perked up, because I had never heard of that before. He said that he was responsible for, “editing the content of a piece of writing based on what an audience might find offensive (racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic, etc). Figuring out what is objectively offensive/not publishable versus what may be subjectively offensive, and figuring out the difference between those two things based on the context of the writing.”
Basically, authors hire sensitivity editors to look over their work before it is published, to catch anything that might cause a reader to sue them. I remember thinking, as our interviewee was speaking, that I could totally be a sensitivity editor as my new side hustle! I consider myself an extremely empathetic person, and I am good at seeing things through the eyes of others. I also enjoy workshopping other people’s work. It sounded like the ideal freelance gig for the type of person I am.
The day after that interview, I uploaded a brand new blog post. It was an unfinished piece that had been sitting in my drafts for a while. In the piece, I spoke about times in my life when I felt left out, forgotten, or excluded. I also referenced people, friends, specifically who were involved (directly or indirectly), in my feeling that way. The irony is, that despite my learning about sensitivity editing only a day before, I failed to edit my own piece with those individuals’ feelings in mind. I knew they would probably read the post; it is public after all, but I am embarrassed to admit that It didn’t cross my mind that what I wrote might cause someone I cared about significant discomfort. I simply wanted to get my feelings onto the page, and that was at the forefront of my mind as I wrote.
As writers, we find therapy in sharing our thoughts and emotions with others through our work. I use it as a release - a way to get out and let go of all the feelings I kept quiet for so long. It takes a lot of courage to get to a place where you are able to share that much of your inner self with the world. Some writers never get to that place at all, which is okay, because it is unbelievably scary. I have realized, through this experience, that It is also a tremendous responsibility. Being courageous in my writing does not mean I should disregard any possible consequences that may arise as a result of making my work public. If I do make those mistakes, as I just recently did, I will try my hardest to hold myself accountable and do better.
Basically, authors hire sensitivity editors to look over their work before it is published, to catch anything that might cause a reader to sue them. I remember thinking, as our interviewee was speaking, that I could totally be a sensitivity editor as my new side hustle! I consider myself an extremely empathetic person, and I am good at seeing things through the eyes of others. I also enjoy workshopping other people’s work. It sounded like the ideal freelance gig for the type of person I am.
The Irony
The day after that interview, I uploaded a brand new blog post. It was an unfinished piece that had been sitting in my drafts for a while. In the piece, I spoke about times in my life when I felt left out, forgotten, or excluded. I also referenced people, friends, specifically who were involved (directly or indirectly), in my feeling that way. The irony is, that despite my learning about sensitivity editing only a day before, I failed to edit my own piece with those individuals’ feelings in mind. I knew they would probably read the post; it is public after all, but I am embarrassed to admit that It didn’t cross my mind that what I wrote might cause someone I cared about significant discomfort. I simply wanted to get my feelings onto the page, and that was at the forefront of my mind as I wrote.
Knowing Your Audience
As writers, we find therapy in sharing our thoughts and emotions with others through our work. I use it as a release - a way to get out and let go of all the feelings I kept quiet for so long. It takes a lot of courage to get to a place where you are able to share that much of your inner self with the world. Some writers never get to that place at all, which is okay, because it is unbelievably scary. I have realized, through this experience, that It is also a tremendous responsibility. Being courageous in my writing does not mean I should disregard any possible consequences that may arise as a result of making my work public. If I do make those mistakes, as I just recently did, I will try my hardest to hold myself accountable and do better.
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