What will you “be” for Halloween?

Costume stores thrive during this season of autumn as children imagine what they can be to collect candy on Halloween. I was daydreaming today about the top three things I hope to “be” this season.

BE THANKFUL to be busy now and trust God to provide in the future.

So much better than the alternative of not enough work to do, waking up each day to awaiting projects is a privilege. I realize that as a freelancer I’m totally blessed to be able to take my boys to school, fix a cup of coffee, and then sit down at my laptop for the day. I’ll often open my email to find an interesting blog post or web article waiting for me to edit for a client. I invoice monthly for small, sporadic projects, and a favorite aspect of my business is the variety it provides and the challenge of honing raw ideas.

Then, of course, there’s perhaps little in life better than anticipating and receiving an author’s fresh manuscript to edit. When I open that Word file for the first time, I pause and say a prayer, asking God to open my heart to “hear” the message of the author and discover the reason and message behind why the author has painstakingly invested weeks, months, and possibly years into his or her manuscript. Writing is hard work—something I hope to never take for granted as the projects arrive from authors.

Not only is turning a manuscript over to the editor an exciting proposition for an author because it puts him or her closer to the end goal of publishing, but it can also be a bit intimidating as an author’s “baby” is critiqued to arrive at the best version possible. Therefore, before an edit is tracked in the review mode of Word, I carefully validate the reasons for the proposed edits. This makes it necessary to surround myself with and dive into vital resources, such as the thousand-pages of The Chicago Manual of Style.

BE AUTHENTIC and pour myself into each new project that comes along.

This week on Thursday I’ll finish an analysis of a captivating, nonfiction manuscript that the author has worked on writing for eleven years. The author’s investment of time into this work is evident. It truly is an eye-opening, inspiring memoir of someone raised by a Southern Baptist mother and a Muslim father. I can’t wait to finish reading it to see how it concludes, what lessons were learned, and where the journey has led. This book is one that will move readers to not view things the same way after reading it.

Finally, on Friday I look forward to sitting down face-to-face with an author from Atlanta. She, her sister, and I met for the first time about a month ago and now she has worked through the first substantive round of editing I did and is ready to proceed with the copyediting round and then the final proofread before publishing. It’s been a unique privilege to be able to meet with her in person since she lives right here in Atlanta, and I look forward to attending her book signing that she has planned for later this year.

While editing is all about polishing the author’s work, writing provides the opportunity to be authentic, not just to smatter mere words on a page. In social media and our internet-driven world, we have access to heaps of reading material—no shortage. After a while, the content can sound redundant though, right? I spend time considering why certain things resonate with us, yet others are disregarded. Plates are “licked” clean after a delicious meal, and authentic, real-life writing is devoured to the tail end.

BE CREATIVE and enjoy using my God-given abilities and experiences.

I don’t know about you, but when I start reading something, if it just sounds like what the author “should” say, in other words—it’s generic, I move on. Most of the time, we want to know what makes the person’s story different from every other story out there, not how it’s the same as every other story. I’m currently on the edge of my seat, waiting to learn if my estimate will be selected on a website content rewrite for a school in Milwaukee, where my nephew and his wife own a design company.

The website project will involve conference calls with them to discuss the sticky points in order to construct the core messaging and elevator talk. Also, the goal is to compress the existing, verbose pages of content down to a dozen or so remarkably engaging but easily devoured pages of content that will be read because often less is more. Clean, creative copy is the result of careful listening, planning, research, and hours invested agonizing over specific word choices and syntax . . . all crucial parts of the process.

And finally—perhaps the most creative venture in my company—is developing monthly e-newsletters for businesses. For example, currently on my to do list is to connect with an attorney in the Atlanta area to discuss some of his real-life success stories to include in this month’s e-newsletter that will roll-out his updated website, which I had the opportunity to edit as well. His designer recently created a beautiful template to display the copywriting effectively, so the possibilities abound as we leap forward this year.

Contact me to be your thankful, authentic, and creative editor and writer!

If I can be busy as a freelance editor, I consider myself immensely blessed by God. If I can be authentic as a freelance writer, my talent and skills will make others successful. If I can be creative as an e-newsletter designer, no day is ever the same or dull. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a full-time editor and writer. I’ve chosen to provide a glimpse into my current week and the month of October because many people ask, “What are you doing with your freelance business?” Well, now you know!

I’d love to help you with your manuscript, website content, or monthly e-newsletter. My specialty for editing and writing is nonfiction content. If you know someone who would benefit from my editorial services, please share this information with them. I’m available anytime to discuss potential projects. Visit sarahhayhurst.com to read more about me and the work I do. I’m thankful for ongoing clients—Truett McConnell University, RickThomas.net, ReWire, and Family Leadership, Inc. to name just a few this year.

Thank you, clients, for sharing projects. Thank you, God, for your sovereign provision. Thank you, friends and family, for your amazing support that has inspired me to continue my dream and pursuit of a full-time editing business. To God be all the glory! It has been a meandering path that builds my faith in Him.