One of my most favorite testimonials as to the actions of an editor who works like I do . . . While the statement below speaks on my behalf, I still discover errors in my own drafts. A fact that I must accept without getting as upset at myself as I often do . . . “on the verge of insanity” . . .
“Edit your manuscript until your fingers bleed and you have memorized every last word. Then, when you are certain you are on the verge of insanity . . . edit one more time!” ~
“. . . our relationship was like a Word document that we were writing and editing together, or a long private joke which nobody else could understand.” ~
I, for one, cannot say that writing or editing could ever be construed as a “joke” – private or not. But, this approach most definitely seems far more rewarding than what some of us, writers and editors, go through in the often grueling process of modifying a manuscript toward clarity, coherence and cohesiveness.
“Writers come in two principal categories — those who are overtly insecure and those who are covertly insecure.” ~
Do you agree with the claim cited above? Why / not?
“Any book without a mistake in it has had too much money spent on it.” ~
I do most of my editing gratis, always aiming to produce the cleanest version of the original manuscripts. While I cannot claim that the outcome is free of mistakes, money has no control over my work; for, it is a labor of love.
“The editor-writer relationship should not be thought of as adversarial.” ~
It seems to be so, though, at times . . . What a pity!
“[T]hey are trying to find the right word, to choose, finally, the one that is most exact, most incisive. It’s a process of sifting, which is exhausting and, at times, exasperating. Writers can’t avoid it. The heart of the craft lies there.” ~
While the quote above singles out the process of writing, I, as a seasoned editor, must reassure you of the following fact: Editing is an identical discipline in terms of its “exhausting” and “exasperating” demands for a commitment to the “sifting” of each draft with a fine-tooth comb.
When we write our first draft of any text, a sense of vulnerability hits us. Our capacity to word our intended content will be exposed, after all – together with our authorial voice; especially, if we are working toward the product of a literary genre. More the reason for us to be mindful as to how we compose that writing. Clarity, coherence and cohesiveness had better be on our side!
An editor is a professional who must limit himself / herself to modifying only a writer’s words, sentences and paragraphs for the sake of clarity, coherence and cohesiveness. Once the editing process results in the sacrifice of the authorial voice, the edited draft is no longer the artistic creation of the writer but rather, the product of an overzealous red pen-user.
“Once you’ve got to the end, and you know what happens, it’s your job to make it look like you knew exactly what you were doing all along.” ~
“I have a confession. I’m a little OCD when I post on social media – I tend to edit more than I should. But then I started thinking, maybe we should all edit a little more – our posts, our thoughts, our words.” ~
I have the same confession. Hence, the appeal of this sentiment by Traci Lea LaRussa . . . I would, however, eliminate “maybe” from the equation and intensify “a little more” – because we all owe it to clarity and coherence, and should, therefore, edit our writings not only “a little more”, but rather more intently.
