My family just had some photos taken. Now first of all the photographer did a great job. She made my family look great with an awesome fall backdrop, and probably most impressive of all, she made me look good. Having said that, It makes me think how similar a good photographer and a good editor are. Both are going to make you look better than you truly are. Not that its a bad thing. I mean seriously, everyone wants to present to the world the best of who they are. Whether that be by having someone tighten up their writing, or photoshop out an unsightly blemish. As storytellers it's our job to capture the reader with setting, characters, and an intriguing storyline. The photographer does the same thing with her camera that I do with a keyboard. But whether it's a picture or a story, it's all in the details and that's where the editing comes in. Every magazine out there, has photos that are altered (photoshopped) for good reason. Perfection sells, or to keep it real, the illusion of perfection. (unless they're intentionally going for imperfection) Regardless, this same perfection is what makes an editor so essential to a great book. Editors make Manuscripts better, it's a fact and no matter how many books an author writes the work will always look better after an editor gets their hands on it.