--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After university, I got a job sub-editing…" description: "\"After university, I got a job sub-editing and for years I was a literary editor.\" — Lynne Truss" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/lynne-truss-4153_editing_after-university-i-got-a-job-sub-editing_1886564.png" --- # After university, I got a job sub-editing and for years I… ![“After university, I got a job sub-editing and for years I was a literary editor.” quote by Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/lynne-truss-4153_editing_after-university-i-got-a-job-sub-editing_1886564.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/lynne-truss-4153_editing_after-university-i-got-a-job-sub-editing_1886564.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ad/lynne-truss-4153_editing_after-university-i-got-a-job-sub-editing_1886564.png) > “After university, I got a job sub-editing and for years I was a literary editor.” [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A career in literary editing provides deep exposure to language and the publishing process. **In simple terms:** Literary editing offers language insight. Key Takeaway Leverage editorial experience for broader writing pursuits. Themes career literature editing Mood pragmatic optimistic Type professional career When to use this quote - freelance editing - author coaching - content strategy - teaching Key Concepts publishing language career development Questions to Reflect On - What skills have you gained as an editor? - How can you apply them beyond publishing? A Different Perspective Editorial work can be limiting if not diversified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [I thought it was a glorious thing to be a critic and to be a literary editor, and one was really doing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/i-thought-it-was-a-glorious-thing-to-be-a-critic-and-to-be-a-literary/) [Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/) > [The one thing I have learned about editing over the years is that you have to edit and publish out of your own tastes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/the-one-thing-i-have-learned-about-editing-over-the-years-is-that-you/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [Writing is just very difficult. I'm an adequate performer. And I think I have a special talent as an editor. Editing is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/writing-is-just-very-difficult-i-m-an-adequate-performer-and-i-think/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) > [I stayed at 'Cosmo' well beyond my internship, moving up the ranks over some 15 years to become books editor, then brand director, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searles/i-stayed-at-cosmo-well-beyond-my-internship-moving-up-the-ranks-over/) [John Searles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searles/) > [ Angelo Corrao was our editor \[in Dream of Life\], and he was just so diligent and so old-school in the way he looked at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-sebring/angelo-corrao-was-our-editor-in-dream-of-life-and-he-was-just-so/) [Steven Sebring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-sebring/) > [Everyone needs an editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-foote/everyone-needs-an-editor/) Timothy Foote > [“Editing is a kind of creative activity where, in a perfect world, an author and an editor find that elusive oneness to understand each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sahara-sanders/editing-is-a-kind-of-creative-activity-where-in-a-perfect-world-an/) [Sahara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sahara-sanders/) > [“The thing you don't realize, my dear girl, is that I have been forced by the economic realities to start taking publishing very seriously.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcclelland/the-thing-you-don-t-realize-my-dear-girl-is-that-i-have-been-forced/) Jack McClelland > [It was not until I began to write a book called 'Light Years' that an editor really stepped in. The editor was Joe Fox…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-was-not-until-i-began-to-write-a-book-called-light-years-that-an/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“A real editor isn't just someone you work with; he's your guide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-levy/a-real-editor-isn-t-just-someone-you-work-with-he-s-your-guide/) [Ariel Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-levy/) > [“A person who wrote badly did better than a person who does not write at all. A bad writing can be corrected. An empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/a-person-who-wrote-badly-did-better-than-a-person-who-does-not-write/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Newspapers have been likened to steamships that move very slowly, in terms of their direction. And when a reporter is sent out on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rosenstiel/newspapers-have-been-likened-to-steamships-that-move-very-slowly-in/) [Tom Rosenstiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rosenstiel/) > [“Don't make the editor's decision for her by not submitting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-janssen/don-t-make-the-editor-s-decision-for-her-by-not-submitting/) Victoria Janssen > [I could give you some names of Workshop participants who are as good as many who are being published but haven't had the right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-could-give-you-some-names-of-workshop-participants-who-are-as-good/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) ## More by Lynne Truss > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Evidently an A level in English is a sacred trust, like something out of "The Lord of the Rings". You must go forth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/evidently-an-a-level-in-english-is-a-sacred-trust-like-something-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a supremely secretive medium of communication - it's like passing a note - and this means we should be very careful what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-supremely-secretive-medium-of-communication-it-s-like/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“Part of one's despair, of course, is that the world cares nothing for the little shocks endured by the sensitive stickler. While we look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/part-of-one-s-despair-of-course-is-that-the-world-cares-nothing-for/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word “Book’s” with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly private emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-any-true-stickler-you-see-the-sight-of-the-plural-word-book-s/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Brackets come in various shapes, types and names: 1 round brackets (which we call brackets, and the Americans call parentheses) 2 square brackets \[which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/brackets-come-in-various-shapes-types-and-names-1-round-brackets/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Texting is a fundamentally sneaky form of communication, which we should despise, but it is such a boon we don't care. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/texting-is-a-fundamentally-sneaky-form-of-communication-which-we/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [My favorite thing in the world is a quiz show, 'University Challenge,' so you can see what kind of sad person I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/my-favorite-thing-in-the-world-is-a-quiz-show-university-challenge-so/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“nothing is straightforward in the world of literary taste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/nothing-is-straightforward-in-the-world-of-literary-taste/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Punctuation is a courtesy designed to help readers to understand a story without stumbling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-is-a-courtesy-designed-to-help-readers-to-understand-a/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“one might dare to say that while the full stop is the lumpen male of the punctuation world (do one job at a time;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/one-might-dare-to-say-that-while-the-full-stop-is-the-lumpen-male-of/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [The main advantage of working at home is that you get to find out what cats really do all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/the-main-advantage-of-working-at-home-is-that-you-get-to-find-out/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“I think about death sometimes. Analytically, of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/i-think-about-death-sometimes-analytically-of-course/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“For the first time since she met him, she asked herself whether mr Dodgson was really the sunny personality she had at first imagined.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/for-the-first-time-since-she-met-him-she-asked-herself-whether-mr/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [“All the important roles shortly boiled down to one: remember your with other people; show some consideration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/all-the-important-roles-shortly-boiled-down-to-one-remember-your-with/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) [Explore all 115 Lynne Truss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) ## More Editing quotes > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [Whenever I finish a film, I feel that this is the worst film that I have made. This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [A perfect movie is a different thing, but a funny movie is easy. I was really happy that I got everyone that I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/a-perfect-movie-is-a-different-thing-but-a-funny-movie-is-easy-i-was/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When I see my movies on the editing table, I do think I could have done them a certain way. The satisfaction is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/when-i-see-my-movies-on-the-editing-table-i-do-think-i-could-have/) [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [Songwriting is like editing. You write down all this stuff - all this bad, stupid stuff - and then you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/songwriting-is-like-editing-you-write-down-all-this-stuff-all-this/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-what-holds-people-up-in-creative-processes-is-the-expectation/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [And then to see the whole movie, you're pretty much waiting until the end of production. And the major lifting in terms of editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/and-then-to-see-the-whole-movie-you-re-pretty-much-waiting-until-the/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-every-book-that-is-written/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“It’s easy to see what to do once it’s already been done. 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