Vermont native Shaan Khan first came to China in 2002 after graduating from Skidmore College with a degree in English Literature. After teaching English at China University of Petroleum in Shandong province for two years, he completed an MFA in Fiction at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Shaan is currently based in Beijing and works as a writer for Waggener Edstrom, one of the largest independently owned PR agencies in the world. He works with global clients that include Microsoft, Joyo-Amazon (China’s Amazon), and Hewlett Packard. Shaan spokewith students at Dulwich College, sharing his love of the written word and explainingthe intricacies of writing and editing as a profession.
Binyam Aschalew, 11, Ethiopia
What words would you use to describe your job?
Careful. You also need to pay attention and be diligent.
Rohan Bhargava, 11, US
What things do you edit?
I edit material for different companies, such as Microsoft. Usually, I work on a press release, which is a story written for a company when they want to launch a new product. For example, say Microsoft wants to launch Windows 7, their new operating system. We help them write materials to announce this story to the media.
Daniel Kim, 11, South Korea
How long does it take you to edit a long paragraph?
It depends on if the English is very bad or if it’s pretty good. If it’s really bad, it might take me one or two hours just for one paragraph. But if it’s pretty good, I can get through it in ten minutes.
Selina Jung, 11, South Korea
Are there other editors that edit your work?
When I first started working, yes. My managing editor would check the quality of my work. I have been working for two years now, so my managing editor in Hong Kong is confident in me and does not need to check my work.
Maya Ou, 11, UK
What is the most exciting thing about your job and why?
My job is like solving a puzzle. When I get material to edit, there are some pieces missing or maybe there are too many pieces or words are in the wrong place. I need to be creative, use my brain and think about the best way to solve this puzzle.
Linzie Lee, 11, South Korea
What inspired you to be an editor?
I’ve always loved writing. That was one of the reasons I became an editor – so I could be involved in the writing process.
Kaitlyn Hill, 10, Australia
What is the hardest part of your job?
Sometimes the hardest part is communication. I need to make the extra effort to make sure I understand what they need and I understand what I can do for them.
Maya Ou, 11, UK
What do you have to study at college to become an editor?
You should definitely take classes on writing. But you can also join student clubs, start your own newspaper, or work for the school newspaper or journal.
Alex Tidd, 10, Australia
What was your favorite thing you edited?
One of the ones that was most interesting was a calendar we prepared for a client. They wanted us to create some funny sentences. A lot of times my work is very serious, but this client wanted to do something that was fun and silly. That was enjoyable for me.
Eleanor Winston, 11, US
What’s the special thing about being an editor?
My education was to be a writer and then later I became an editor. So I get to see both sides of the writing process. For me, that was quite special.
Rohan Bhargava, 11, US
What was the hardest piece you edited?
That’s a tough question. A lot of them are hard. I can’t think of one piece that is hard, but the hardest kind of work to edit is Powerpoint presentations. They are very long, and they want to use short sentences. It’s hard to get the meaning with only a few words.
Shih-Han Huang, 11, Taiwan
How can you edit paragraphs that you can hardly understand?
If I don’t understand the writing, or the paragraph, I have to talk to my co-worker about the meaning. We have to work together to get the meaning and to say it in a proper way.
Kelly Liu, 11, Hong Kong
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
I did an article for one of my company’s clients,Microsoft. I helped them write an article about the activities they do to help society development – helping poorer people get education. So I enjoyed that.
Darcy Geitz, 11, Australia
Was being an editor your dream job?
Actually no, it is not my dream job. I would like to be a novelist some day. I like to write fiction.
Kelly Liu, 11, Hong Kong
Who is your role model?
My role models are usually writers. One writer that I really like is James Joyce.
Johanna Shen, 10, Sweden
If you went back in time and you could choose another job,
would you still be an editor?
I might choose to be an actor. I’m a bit shy really, but acting seems like it would be fun.
