How do you feel when a story you've slogged over comes back from an editor covered in red pen?
Does your heart sink? Blood boil? Or do you stop and think to yourself; what can I learn from this?
I've worked with words all my life. I started my career as a cub reporter on a local newspaper in the north of Scotland and will never forget the experience of watching my first article get 'subbed.' It was like watching an old shoe being polished. Words taken out of one sentence made other sentences pop, the pace quickened, the copy was tight and clean. It positively sparkled. It was still my work, but better. Watching the process made me determined to improve.
I got the hang of it (thankfully; newspaper editors aren't the most patient people in the world) then moved up a notch to nationals. This was a whole different ball game. After my first attempt at writing a story for, ahem, let's just say a well-known national paper, I received a phone call. It was the gruff and unforgettable voice of the news editor, who shall remain nameless. "Rewrite it. It reads like a blooming school essay." Admittedly my heart sank. I'd tried so hard. But he was the boss, and, more importantly, he was right. I went back to the drawing board, studied the newspapers' trademark 'dropped intros' and tried again.
Now thankfully, I have long since escaped journalism. It was never really my choice of career, but in those days very few young people left school to become authors!
However, I am still eager to learn from the editor's pen.
This week I worked with Storgy Magazine editor, Tomek Dzido on my story, The Fulmar's Cry, which was long-listed for the Shallow Creek anthology, due out soon.
I've never met Tomek in person, but his email was at once, courteous, respectful and well, mindful. If only we'd had Tomek Dzido's in the newspaper world!
This is how he approached the spectre of the editing process; My main aim with any such editorial work is to try and smooth out the sentences and, where possible, improve the flow of the story as a whole, so please don't be taken aback by the strike throughs or deletions or edits etc. Word replacements are merely suggestions and of course you are entirely free to ignore or act on my suggestions, it is your piece of writing and I in no way mean to interfere with your creative talents.
A far cry from the shouts of newspaper subs, which usually involved a lot of swearing and general grumpiness! (they were under a lot of pressure, so it was fair game as far as I was concerned).
I opened the document containing my story - the story which had me writing into the wee small hours and up with the larks to finish all those months ago and sure enough Tomek had gone to work. Now, I've been around a number of writers who take great offence and umbridge at the editing pen. But I reckon when your work has been accepted for publication and an editor suggests changes you have two choices; wise-up and accept they are trying to make your work better (they have after all accepted it) or...go in a screaming huff, argue every minute point and convince yourself you know best.
And actually, when someone has taken that amount of time and consideration over your writing, I figure you owe it to them to at least consider their suggestions.
Personally, I loved Tomek's changes and here's why; he made my work pop. Just like that first newspaper story all those years ago. The changes were mainly tense-related (don't ask me for the technical terms, I can't retain that kind of information, but let's just say hads were scored out in order to make the action faster). The story weaves backwards and forwards in time so it was challenging to write but Tomek was able to distance himself as a reader and tighten everything up, make it shine, give it a damned good make-over!
And that's what editors are for. They are not out to get you, or prove they know best, they genuinely want to help you be the best you can, make you think about word choices, consider the impact of your sentences, would they read better rejigged, shortened, lengthened or are some of them needed at all?
If my work is going to print, I want it to be as good as it can be so I genuinely loved the experience. Tomek and I emailed a few times, shared some ideas, and got on with the job at hand. What more can you ask for from an editor?