We were talking about this (how we love a delicate touch) at our writing critique meeting this past Wednesday. (You know, after roll call...after the minutes from the last meeting were read aloud...after issues from the floor were discussed...after they tried to force me into an Ellipsis Intervention group...)
What's that, you ask? Am I speaking of how much I would appreciate Viggo Mortensen's gentle touch? No. Not at this moment.
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So far, I've been lucky enough to work with only a handful of editors, and they've been extremely respectful of territorial lines. Where does my voice end and theirs begin in the editing process? I have a unique style/rhythm/
Lately, I've worked with two great editors---Dahlynn McKowen and Pat Nelson. Their suggestions have improved my pieces and the changes are done seamlessly. In my mind, that's one sign of a great editor.
What editor have you worked with recently that you'd like to highlight as you pile on the praise? Come on. I know there are lots of stories to tell...
I do not work with editors. I drive a silver stake through their black and wicked hearts before setting them on fire. *curtsies*
ReplyDeleteFireblossom--Some of us NEED editors. We can't all be as lucky as you are... *gesticulates with a favorite finger*
DeleteWow. Good luck with your writing.
DeleteYou're lucky.
ReplyDeleteLynn--You are right. I AM lucky. I belong to a group of rowdy, talented women.
DeleteMy editors at Osprey Publishing have all been good. They listen, change very little of my work, check before they do change anything, and even (gasp!) PAY ON TIME.
ReplyDeleteI had a good writers group in Madrid that helped me with my Civil War novel. Three of my beta readers worked very well together. One helped with the nuts and bolts of storytelling, another was good with dialogue, and another kept a sharp eye out for military matters.
Sean--That's marvelous that--with your group in Madrid--you had one well-rounded super-editor.
Delete(And being forced to write in Madrid. It must have been rough. I really feel for you, Sean.) *tongue placed firmly in cheek*
I used to write columns for the AJC (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) all the time, and then the paper re-organized and my fave editor, Susan Gast---the one who "got" my humor and rarely changed more than a comma or semi-colon---was moved to a different department. The new editor---who did NOT get my humor---was so awful that after one column I never submitted again. She took a column I wrote about airline travel and edited it from funny to snarky/argumentative...without offering the edited (read: butchered) version up for my approval (I would have told her HELL NO!). It was the first and only time I received letters from readers that were negative. I didn't even know the piece was running until I spotted my byline, and when I read it I literally cried. It was awful, and my name was on it! Oh, man, I was so mad! I don't even remember her name, because I never offered another column to the paper again.
ReplyDeleteBest editors to deal with? Honestly, all the others have been great. They have been understanding when I have made an error and respectful enough of my work to allow me final review and approval. Except for that awful editor at the AJC, my experiences have been terrific.
Lisa--And as experienced of a writer as you are, that says volumes: you've only worked with one bad editor.
DeleteBravo! for standing your ground.
Wow, I feel for Lisa and her nightmare experience. When people read stuff like that, they don't know it could have come from the editor and not the writer. Glad the rest of the experiences were good ones!
ReplyDeleteOne of my first editors was at a local newspaper. He was almost stereotypically stern. I thought he hated me. But he was always so careful in his edits. Later when I left, he said the nicest things! I had no idea before then what a great guy he was on top of being a great editor.
Tammy--It sounds like maybe he was a "Lou Grant" type of guy? Crusty and gruff on the outside?
DeleteI'm glad that one of your first editors was a good one. When they set a positive tone--as you begin as a writer--it can only help you.
And you're right. Sometimes when we read something that's a little lame or a little off, we can't assume it was the reader's work. It might be due to a terrible editor.
Unfortunately, I'm completely unedited!
ReplyDeleteMama Zen--You are in the same category as Fireblossom. You know: envied...Princess POW (Princess Pisser-Off of Writers) because you don't need editing. Fabulous stuff just spews from your keyboard.
DeleteSo shut up! ;)
An editor once changed the names of MY CHILDREN and didn't tell me until I saw it in print. And she wondered whay I didn;t want to purchase books.
ReplyDeleteAnd I guess your kids were also uninterested in purchasing the book?
DeleteOuch. That editing job must have hurt.