A case of editorial withdrawal

In appreciation of a great editor

I tell my students that it’s in revision that they really find their story. And I mean it. I love getting feedback and finding out that just by peeling back a bit of obscure wording, I can illuminate what I truly wanted to say.

But these days, edited texts are scarce. The big newspapers and magazines still edit,¹ and the big publishers edit,² but let’s face it, their combined output is just a trickle in the face of the onslaught of blogs, self-published books, and social media posts.

And most of us in the informal publishing sphere, including almost all of us here at Substack, lack any hope of having an editor of any kind, not to mention a pro who could really help us polish our prose.

Professional editors offer an invaluable service

It was rather late in my career that I first worked with a professional editor. My work had been edited, of course—by literary journal editors, other writers, teachers, publishers. But the publication of my first book marked the only time that my writing was thoroughly worked over by someone whose profession was to pull apart my writing, think deeply about it, and help me improve it.

It was a wonderful experience, and I miss it.

Perhaps if I’d pursued a more traditional writing career, I would have worked more with professional editors. But the small newspapers, magazines, and literary journals that have published my work didn’t have the budget for professional copy editing. In fact, sometimes I wondered whether some editors read the work at all. I’d see my work in print (literally on paper, back in the day) and there would be a glaring ytpo that I’d missed. Sic.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Good editing is not destructive

I think some writers fear that an editor will destroy what is beautiful, individual, and passionate about their writing. But nothing could be further from the truth if you’re working with a good editor. I have a forthcoming middle grade novel that I workshopped with a small group of writers, two of whom were also excellent editors. The questions that they asked made it a better book by far.

Good editors don’t just find the typos. They straighten out the tortured sentences. They rearrange the deranged paragraphs. They ask the questions that lead us to find the deeper answer to the question we’re exploring.

Wanna co-edit?

If you like my work, reach out. I’d love to form a small group of Substackers who share preview links and offer feedback. Given the breakneck speed that we work at, I’m not looking for a big commitment, nor can I offer one. But I’d love to find a few fellow writers who are willing to support each other.

1. …though according to Paul Krugman, some newspapers seem to be editing out of fear rather than out of concern for good writing.

2. …though I write kidlit and I can tell you, I’m not sure what they’re spending their time on because some of the Big 5-published books I read could really use an editor!