Writers and Editors-Respecting the Work

You’ve worked hard. Your imagination in overdrive propels you to complete the novel created in your mind onto paper, a hard copy of what you believe other people want, no crave to read.

“But it’s too long,” your editor says, popping your inflated ego. “And you have twenty somethings sounding like fifty somethings.”

Ack.

Your heart sinks and you work hard to save it from falling into the sewer of banality. You’re just another writer in a growing sea of creativity populated by those much more talented than you. You are a perch in an ocean of whales.

That’s life in a writers’ world. Most of us have a bit of the obsessive compulsive disorder that forces us to pen a novel full of interpersonal relationships coupled with a plethora of literary prose, or not. Just this weekend I received my ‘first pass’ letter on A Shadow of Time. While the above quotes aren’t exactly what she said, they are close enough. My ego took a long walk off a short pier which left me floundering.

The problem with being a writer is that sometimes you can’t see what’s right in front of you. Your characters are clear, you know their personalities, they populate your dreams and by osmosis you expect your reader to see what you see. Problem is they can’t. It would be great for writers and editors to work next to each other. Laughing, joking, throwing water at each other, but that’s not the way it works. Most of the time you get your corrections in a letter or outline format coupled with those nasty red lines and comments.  

So, how do you communicate with your editor?  

1.       Respect. Writers must respect editors and visa versa. The editor’s job is to take a close look at what you’ve written and to assist you in fine tuning your work.

2.      Be open to criticism. Honest evaluation is invaluable.

3.      If something in your work is important to you, let your editor know. It is okay to disagree. To this I might add that each time an editor has brought my attention to something he/she feels needs correction, they are almost always right.

4.      Don’t get defensive. Yeah, okay, we all get defensive sometimes, but keep it to a minimum.

My daughter-in-law, a business major, took me in hand and explained to me that in business communication, there is no time for pleasantries. Communication is generally abrupt, the point driven home, with an expectation of results, not temper tantrums.

I asked myself, how did a former C.E.O. forget business communications? Well, it's the emotional investment. My heart and soul is invested in what I write. A piece of myself is born again in each character. Emotions didn't have a place when I ran the business, especially when it came to communication. I knew what I needed, asked for it, and received it. No huggy kissy allowed. My P&L dictated my response at all times.

So, I will begin my first pass at A Shadow of Time, with the expectation that my editor knows what she is talking about. After all, she isn’t in my head, and can give me the clearest view of an unbiased opinion. 

 My editor, Heather, is great at what she does. She picked out my inconsistencies and asked me for clarification. How I take that information, is entirely up to me.