This is the story of how I became an editor:
Ever since receiving my first copy of GameInformer magazine in 2002, I became obsessed with the idea of working in the video game industry. When I got to college, I started down the path of programming because it seemed like the best way to get a job with a game developer. Programming wasn’t for me (too much math), so I changed my major to computer graphics, hoping to still gain the skills necessary to work in games. It turned out that graphics wasn’t my cup of tea either.
Realizing that writing about games appealed to me way more than making them (which I owe to GameInformer), I shifted my focus yet again and ended up with a B. A. in English from Purdue University. I had always loved to read and was fascinated with what editors, writers, and journalists did. I felt really good about this decision, that I was finally on a path to something that truly felt right for me. My dream was to be an editor at GameInformer magazine.
Around that time, the media landscape began to shift from written editorial work to video content. The rise of personality-driven media was here, and sadly this also applied to video game coverage. (Fast-forward a few years and written video game journalism became almost nonexistent.)
I didn’t want to be an on-screen personality; I wanted to work with words, be an editor.
I stumbled across proofreading as a viable way to earn income working with words. I took an online course, began reading a bunch of books on the craft, and started a business. I still wanted to work in games, and pursued opportunities in that area, but the best work I was getting was in the fiction realm, and I really enjoyed it. I also quickly realized that I was doing more than just proofreading; I was actually copyediting.
Years in, I’ve really found my place in fiction editing. I love what I do and can’t see myself doing anything else with my life besides being an editor. It isn’t the type of “editor” job I initially set out for, but I’m okay with that. I still love video games, and I would enjoy doing copyediting or proofreading work for video games one day in addition to continuing to work in fiction =)
Timothy