After an absence of a couple of weeks, I would like to greet you, dear reader, with the following quote. The authorial sentiment in the paragraph below reflects my professional view as an editor and a writer. On a personal level, I could not agree more with the thoughts expressed.
Question: Where do you find yourself, once you have a draft of one of your writings awaiting its next step? Moving in the direction of self-help only or both – self-editing and in search of professional assistance? Your answer will begin to get you on the path toward the fulfillment of your self-designated objective (make sure it is not because of someone else that you decide to opt for one of the alternatives – own your choice / decision). Happy reading! (Note: The following text is a quote in its entirety. The active link on “Alane Mason” is my addition.)
[*] Do It, Swallow The Medicine
“I tend to edit heavily and repeatedly as I go along, so I don’t make the distinction, at least by myself. For the books that I’ve written for a larger public, however, I’ve had the help of an immensely gifted editor (Alane Mason, at Norton), so there I do separate out the tasks: in effect my own writing/editing; and then a further editing after receiving her suggestions. I tend to hate the latter experience, though I recognize that it is almost invariably good—a bit like swallowing disagreeable but essential medicine.
– Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard Professor, author of The Swerve, that landed on the bestseller lists and won both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award