Editing and Proofreading
Editing and proofreading are in some ways natural extensions of writing. As a magazine writer, you are always looking for the best ways to work with words. Editors and proofreaders do the same thing, just from different perspectives.
If you have no editing or proofreading experience, then you would be wise to take a class at a local college or through an online university to give you the basics on what's expected. Good writers are not necessarily good editors, and you'll need to understand how to break down stories by overall structure, paragraph, line, and word in ways that are different from writing those elements yourself.
Don't assume that just because you're a good writer, you'll be a good editor or proofreader. Your ability to work with words definitely gives you an advantage in learning editing and proofreading skills, but you will have a fair amount to study at a local college before you can try to earn money by editing or proofreading.
Once you master the main tasks involved, you can begin to ask your regular editors whether they need any freelance editing help. You may be surprised at how many say yes, especially if your hourly or day rate is reasonable.
Enhancing Your Expertise
Being a freelance editor in addition to a magazine writer can do a lot to enhance your expertise and reputation in your field. For instance, if you are a medical writer who can make the transition to medical editor, then you will by definition be doing more research in the field as you fact-check and enhance articles written by other writers. Your knowledge base will grow far more quickly than through writing alone, and you will undoubtedly come up with plenty of new ideas for story pitches of your own.
Improving Your Writing
Being a good editor or proofreader will also help you to improve your own writing, because you can apply the skills you learn to self-editing your articles before you submit them to your editors. This will make you even more valuable as a magazine writer, which in turn should land you ever more business when you send out your query letters.
Writers who take the time to self-edit almost always turn in cleaner copy than writers who don't know how to self-edit. Thus, being able to self-edit makes your editor's job easier, and of course makes the editor more likely to return to you with additional assignments in the future.
