As I gear up to start working again, my editor’s hat is on more and more often. I’m noticing errant apostrophes and (my favorite) misplaced quotation marks.

But as I age (and mature, a little) my focus is less and less on the silly mistakes and more and more focused on the real job of an editor:

Helping the writer to say what she means and mean what she says.

That is why I love to wear the editor hat.

As a writer, I love working with editors who can do that. Who realize that anyone can make mistakes, and can correct those mishaps quickly and without judgment. But the art (and science) of editing, in my opinion, is teasing out meaning and clarity.

I was sent this sentence the other day:

It is not only this future perspective important to consider in choosing a child care center but a quality center, also presents a nurturing and stimulating environment for children.

As a writer, editor, former language teacher and current student of mental health, I love sentences like this.

I would love the chance to work with the writer of this piece.

What is she trying to say?

I’ll bet that if I asked her to tell me what “quality” means to her, she’d give me a straight answer. That would be a start.

In a quality child care center, children are nurtured and stimulated. Their needs are taken care of by caring professionals. Children thrive in this environment and this sets them up for future success.

Something like this might work.