--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first job I was offered was as an…" description: "\"The first job I was offered was as an editorial assistant. I think it was the best thing for me, in terms of being a storyteller by nature, to have spe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/terri-windling-8504_assistants_the-first-job-i-was-offered-was-as-an-ed_2403274.png" --- # The first job I was offered was as an editorial assistant… ![“The first job I was offered was as an editorial assistant. I think it was the best thing for me, in terms of being a storyteller by nature, to have spent years being an editor because I learned so much from it.” quote by Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/terri-windling-8504_assistants_the-first-job-i-was-offered-was-as-an-ed_2403274.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/terri-windling-8504_assistants_the-first-job-i-was-offered-was-as-an-ed_2403274.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/148/terri-windling-8504_assistants_the-first-job-i-was-offered-was-as-an-ed_2403274.png) > “The first job I was offered was as an editorial assistant. I think it was the best thing for me, in terms of being a storyteller by nature, to have spent years being an editor because I learned so much from it.” [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Working as an editorial assistant taught storytelling skills that later shaped her career. **In simple terms:** Editing built storytelling ability. Key Takeaway Value early roles for skill growth. Themes career development storytelling skill building Mood reflective appreciative Type insightful inspirational When to use this quote - career start - writing projects - publishing industry - creative development Key Concepts editing mentorship learning growth Questions to Reflect On - How did editing influence your storytelling? - What early role shaped your path? A Different Perspective Early jobs may not directly align with later goals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-job/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Storyteller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storyteller/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [First, I was a fact checker for Zagat and then I was an editorial assistant for HarperCollins publishing house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-chlumsky/first-i-was-a-fact-checker-for-zagat-and-then-i-was-an-editorial/) [Anna Chlumsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-chlumsky/) > [My first job out of college was as an editorial assistant in a New York publishing house. Being an editorial assistant is the purgatory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-child/my-first-job-out-of-college-was-as-an-editorial-assistant-in-a-new/) [Lincoln Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-child/) > [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/) > [I just happened to see an ad saying 'Willing to train an assistant editor,' and I learned enough from that to go to NYU…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/i-just-happened-to-see-an-ad-saying-willing-to-train-an-assistant/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [While I had been, I guess, quite brilliant, academically, in my college years, I also had been editor of the paper, and I loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/while-i-had-been-i-guess-quite-brilliant-academically-in-my-college/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [“He started to do that, started to inform me of everything; the inconsequential, the meaningful; conversations that ended in a cul-de-sac of unanswerable rhetoric.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/he-started-to-do-that-started-to-inform-me-of-everything-the/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [I worked as an assistant editor, actually, for a few years. That was right when I was just starting to get out at night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/i-worked-as-an-assistant-editor-actually-for-a-few-years-that-was/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [There are plenty of bad editors who try to impose their own vision on a book. (…) A good novel editor is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/there-are-plenty-of-bad-editors-who-try-to-impose-their-own-vision-on/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [A good novel editor is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/a-good-novel-editor-is-invisible/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/) [Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/) > [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/) [Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/) > [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) ## More by Terri Windling > [“I've been very influenced by folklore, fairy tales, and folk ballads, so I love all the classic works based on these things -- like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-ve-been-very-influenced-by-folklore-fairy-tales-and-folk-ballads-so/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Don’t be afraid to be weird, don’t be afraid to be different, don’t worry too much about what other people think. Whatever it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/don-t-be-afraid-to-be-weird-don-t-be-afraid-to-be-different-don-t/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“In England in the 19th century, advances in printing methods, combined with the rise of a prosperous middle class, engendered a booming new industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/in-england-in-the-19th-century-advances-in-printing-methods-combined/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [What I find interesting about folklore is the dialogue it gives us with storytellers from centuries past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/what-i-find-interesting-about-folklore-is-the-dialogue-it-gives-us/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Lately, because computer technology has made self-publishing an easier and less expensive venture, I'm getting a lot of review copies of amateur books by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/lately-because-computer-technology-has-made-self-publishing-an-easier/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life," said Simone de Beauvoir. "I want to be a woman and to be a man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-said-simone-de/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“I wish I could have known Barbara Bodichon -- and her whole vibrant circle of smart, fearless women friends. I'd like to gather them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-wish-i-could-have-known-barbara-bodichon-and-her-whole-vibrant/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Twelve years ago I left Boston and New York, and moved east and west at the same time. East, to a little village in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/twelve-years-ago-i-left-boston-and-new-york-and-moved-east-and-west/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“I lived in New York City back in the 1980s, which is when the Bordertown series was created. New York was a different place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/i-lived-in-new-york-city-back-in-the-1980s-which-is-when-the/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Border crossing' is a recurrent theme in all aspects of my work -- editing, writing, and painting. I'm interested in the various ways artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/border-crossing-is-a-recurrent-theme-in-all-aspects-of-my-work/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [A good novel editor is invisible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/a-good-novel-editor-is-invisible/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [My book collection is primarily in America, since that's where I've lived most of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/my-book-collection-is-primarily-in-america-since-that-s-where-i-ve/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Trickster foxes appear in old stories gathered from countries and cultures all over the world -- including Aesop's Fables from ancient Greece, the "Reynard"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/trickster-foxes-appear-in-old-stories-gathered-from-countries-and/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Creators of literary fairy tales from the 17th-century onward include writers whose works are still widely read today: Charles Perrault (17th-century France), Hans Christian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/creators-of-literary-fairy-tales-from-the-17th-century-onward-include/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) > [“Oh, don't get me started! I love fantasy, I read it for pleasure, even after all these years. Pat McKillip, Ursula Le Guin and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-windling/oh-don-t-get-me-started-i-love-fantasy-i-read-it-for-pleasure-even/) [Terri Windling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) [Explore all 80 Terri Windling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-windling/) ## More Assistants quotes > [I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-m-a-good-assistant-that-s-why-i-don-t-have-an-assistant-because-i-m/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [Since, however, it is immaterial whether the work is done by assistants or a machine, I decided to build a machine equivalent to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/since-however-it-is-immaterial-whether-the-work-is-done-by-assistants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My dad's a prominent theatre director in Toronto, so I grew up in that world, directing and producing theater since I was a teenager.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-gass-donnelly/my-dad-s-a-prominent-theatre-director-in-toronto-so-i-grew-up-in-that/) [Ed Gass-Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-gass-donnelly/) > [To this day, I've never had an assistant. I really insist on doing everything myself because I value the role of the artist's hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-robleto/to-this-day-i-ve-never-had-an-assistant-i-really-insist-on-doing/) [Dario Robleto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-robleto/) > [ Well, that would be a title \[the busiest guy in Hollywood\] still reserved for Ryan Seacrest. I have one assistant; he has about nine.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-mchale/well-that-would-be-a-title-the-busiest-guy-in-hollywood-still/) [Joel McHale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-mchale/) > [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [I know that you observe Christmas Day as you learned it at home. I do not observe it. However, as assistant director of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odilo-globocnik/i-know-that-you-observe-christmas-day-as-you-learned-it-at-home-i-do/) Odilo Globocnik > [Hollywood is a whole other level of crazy. I've never met so many assistants who have assistants. It's a stratified society on its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/hollywood-is-a-whole-other-level-of-crazy-i-ve-never-met-so-many/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [Photoshop is useful in many ways but must NEVER be used for the altering of photographs. My assistants and my agency do whatever Photoshop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-erwitt/photoshop-is-useful-in-many-ways-but-must-never-be-used-for-the/) [Elliott Erwitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-erwitt/) > [Remember, this is back in the '40s, and the idea of a museum being a place where interested people could come in direct contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-mackenzie/remember-this-is-back-in-the-40s-and-the-idea-of-a-museum-being-a/) [Warren MacKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-mackenzie/) > [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [I was in Japan, and my assistant director had worked with Kurosawa. I used quite of number of Kurosawa's crew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boorman/i-was-in-japan-and-my-assistant-director-had-worked-with-kurosawa-i/) [John Boorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boorman/) > [It's one of the most beautiful memories of my life. Not everyone has a chance to meet Greta Garbo! I was so in awe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/it-s-one-of-the-most-beautiful-memories-of-my-life-not-everyone-has-a/) [Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/) > [Think like a head coach, but act like an assistant coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-amaker/think-like-a-head-coach-but-act-like-an-assistant-coach/) Tommy Amaker > [I must have assistants who will solve their own problems and tell me later what they've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-marshall/i-must-have-assistants-who-will-solve-their-own-problems-and-tell-me/) [George C. Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-marshall/) Browse all 322 Assistants quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first job I was offered was as an editorial assistant. 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