When editing we often have to deal with similar problems. Are you a conceptual editor or do you get into the nitty gritty of line editing. What is your particular talent? I would also love to know how you are able to relate effectively to different personalities when you edit someone's work.
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At our publication, we have a particular sensitivity to the position of the writer as we are writers ourselves. When writers submit a piece, they offer up an intimate aspect of themselves on the page. The best experience is when an editor works closely with the writer, paying attention to their authentic voice, and can feel out the areas that the writer can expound upon or work on. When we want to illustrate a point, we like to give a concrete example so that the writer knows where we are coming from rather than just tossing a theory their way. I've had some recent instances where I've given some direction to a writer and they've run with it, making the piece extraordinary- it's wonderful to see both the writer and the editor come to a profound mutual understanding of the work. We've also received some lovely thank-you notes on our rejections which says a lot about the great people we often get to work with. We take the extra time to give the sort of feedback that encourages but also guides with the understanding that the writer may or may not always agree. It is when both the writer and the editor are open to communication that the best work gets done. When the editor doesn't impose their personal style and when the writer doesn't stubbornly build a wall that says that their way is the only way. The work comes first and when everyone understands that, doors open- magic can happen.
I love helping writers improve the mechanics and grammatics of their writing, but then also helping them to see the big picture of their project, and how well, or not, their current writing honours that. The task of editing --love it. It's only the money chasing that bothers me, when there is an increased ratio of effort to non-scaleable payment owed. Editors, good editors, are worth every dollar, and I'm conscious of the fact that so much of the work gets unnoticed and unpaid. I'm working hard to change that. I don't believe in starving editors.
I like the process of editing, taking something that reads decently and with a subtle shift of phrase or comma added it is elevated to something wonderful. The collaboration without ego or attachment is also really nice. I can't really imagine choosing between the global and minutiae (except I admit to not knowing how to spell the word), the whole package is made up of all the little dots and commas.
I'm excited to find camaraderie here. I have been a Development Editor in NYC for 10+ years, first at McGraw-Hill then at Fairchild Books/Conde Nast. Now I am independent, balancing being a new mom and a steady stream of private clients who are writing books. I also edit book proposals, pitches, press releases, and business communications. I work mostly with nonfiction and am open to all topics, as well as fiction. I love line editing ~ I have an eye for errors and experience editing really long manuscripts, such as The History of Furniture, and technical manuscripts. I love the relief and interest of editing the occasional fiction piece or short story. I also teach creative nonfiction writing workshops in New York.
My greatest love is fostering confidence in the writer, and teaching the writer how to hone his craft. I use a supportive, collaborative, and encouraging approach with writers. They come away with a sense of ownership over their manuscripts. My greatest satisfaction comes when one of my authors gets a book deal.
I'm interested in chatting about contracts, editing minutiae and style guides, and freelance work in any region.
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle, Welcome to WAEnet. We would love to see you take advantage of the blog feature on your personal profile. It would be great for you to share your expertise with the other members. You could certainly blog about editing minutiae and style guides. How about this to get you started: What are some of the most common mistakes you see in the manuscripts you edit. You could do one entirely on commas, lol. Thank you again for joining the site. Deborah Herman and the WAEnet team
Oh, I have a fantastic brief blog in mind! Stay tuned!
Great questions Deborah, and thanks for inviting me to join the group. I'm going to jump in on the personalities question first. I'm not a person with a lot of patience for bad behavior. I enjoy working with professional writers—and by that I mean writers who understand that editing is part of the product development process and not a personal attack on their children. To the extent that I can, I screen prospective clients before accepting them, and my screening is not based on the quality of their writing but rather on their professionalism and their personalities.
When I'm in a different role, doing developmental editing for a publisher that has assigned a book to me, I don't have a lot of say in the matter. I just try to get along as best I can with the author regardless of personality. In that situation, I've learned a few tricks—such as eliminating all attempts at humor or irony in dialogue with authors who have what are, for me, difficult personalities. I still manage to ruffle some feathers now and again, but I apologize quickly and sincerely for any offense given and get through the job.
I've been doing one sort of editing or another for a bit over half a century, and I've been studying and practicing typography for a few years longer than that. I have always been a generalist rather than a specialist, but I find I am most effective as a developmental and line editor. I handle copyediting too, but I draw the line at proofreading. In fact, on the jobs that I take from start to finish (author's first draft through to finished pages), I rely on the proofreader to catch my copyediting misses, because by that stage I've been staring at the text longer than the author has.
I think that where I add the most value as an editor is that, because I'm more broadly read than most authors (not to mention older), I have a deep reserve of general knowledge that informs my developmental editing. In Three Days of the Condor, there's a bit of dialogue between two senior members of an investigating panel that Joe Turner (Robert Redford's character) has just testified before. One asks the other how Turner, an office researcher for the CIA, knows enough about evasive maneuvers to dodge a bullet from a professional assassin. "He reads." . . . "He reads everything." Thankfully, I've never had to dodge a bullet. But I always think of that scene when an author asks me how I know all that stuff.
Great reply, Dick. I am sure others will enjoy reading it at well. Reading is always the best solution for writers and editors. Unfortunately as a literary agent I spent a lot of time reading unpolished (kindly said) material. I have returned to reading for pleasure and it is improving my editing and personal writing. Have a Happy New Year.
Deborah, I do not envy you your slush pile. But I work with a lot of material that is written by authors (experts in their respective fields) who are not writers and have never thought about the craft of writing. Calling what they write prose would be an overstatement in many cases. It can be both frustrating and fulfilling to complete that kind of book and have something readable and interesting come out the end of the process.
Trying to find work, I am being interviewed and rejected by people half my age. It's refreshing to come across someone who also recognizes and values the wisdom we have gained and the knowledge we have to share. I hear and like the comfort, the equanimity of your perspective, and even detect, I think, a slight glimmer in the eye. It's comfprtable to shuffle in these ol' shoes.
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