#writerandeditor

JarinGobi | Munhakdongne Publishing Group, 2022 Written and illustrated by Noh In-Kyung Illustrated Essay / Illustration , 140*225, 136p 

Gobi grew up with poverty as if it were part of the family. Fortunately, she found something she was good at early on — drawing — and now makes a living from it. Her principles are simple: work diligently, never insist on her own opinion, and always meet deadlines exactly.

Gobi eats two meals a day, both Kimbab. She asks for it to be sliced as thinly as possible, eats very slowly, and picks out the fillings one by one. All her clothes — even her underwear — happen to be black. Black has the advantage of hiding paint stains. One good thing about being an adult, she thinks, is that clothes never become too small to wear.

She walks everywhere, and when she reaches her destination, she calculates how much money she saved by not taking the bus or subway. She buys fruits and vegetables from the bargain baskets at the market, uses the public library’s air conditioning in the summer, and sleeps in a heated tent in the winter — all clever tricks that show her resourcefulness.

An editor is not just someone with a red pen and a pile of corrections. An editor is a living filter between writer and reader, the final frontier where the truth of the text is born. I am not a censor, not a mechanical “fixer,” and definitely not a “tamer” of creative chaos for the sake of appearances.

I am a guardian of words, someone who knows the value of every comma and every pretentious cliché.

My philosophy is respect—for the craft of writing and for the author’s voice. Because texts are living organisms, with breath, rhythm, and soul. I don’t edit for the sake of form but for meaning and emotion—the kind that hits the reader, not lulls them to sleep. It’s hard work, but it’s what gives a text life.

If you're looking for light edits and gentle compliments—I'm not your person. My style is direct, honest, and unvarnished. I can be a bit sarcastic, but I'm not mean. If a text feels fake or muddles its message—I’ll show you. But I don’t destroy—I build. I help texts become not just clear, but real. Because words should work, not just decorate a page.

But if you're ready for honesty, for hard work, and for your text to become not just readable but alive—then I’m already on your side.