In Appreciation of Editors

Kendra Bonnett--Getting Read #6

"Whether the flower looks better in the nosegay than in the meadow where it grew and we had to wet our feet to get it! Is the scholastic air any advantage?"

When confronted with the fact that his journal entries would need to be edited in order to turn them into essays, Henry David Thoreau was not entirely convinced the result would be an improvement. For once, Thoreau was wrong. Editing is an important element of the creative process. And in some instances it is absolutely essential.

Consider that without the patience, insight and editing skills of Charles Scribner's & Sons editor Max Perkins, we might never have known the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Every publisher rejected The Romantic Egotist. Only Perkins saw its genius. He worked closely with Fitzgerald to craft his first novel into This Side of Paradise (1920).

This is my way of introducing Story Circle Network's new Editorial Service. After several months of putting the program together, selecting editors and developing the site, we are at last live. Matilda Butler and I invite you to visit the site and get to know the editors.

"Editing is the same as quarreling with writers—same thing exactly."

That's what legendary New Yorker editor Harold W. Ross had to say about the subject in a piece for Time magazine on the occasion of the New Yorker's 25th anniversary. Matilda and I respectfully disagree...provided the writer finds the right editor. For this reason, we have included profiles on each editor. In the weeks and months ahead, we'll be interviewing the editors and posting the audios for you to listen to. We even hope that eventually we'll entice the team to blog about writing and editing right here on Telling Herstories. SCN's goal for this service is to help you build a relationship with an editor that is more like a well-choreographed dance than a wrestling match.

If you have any doubts about the importance of editing, I invite you to listen to Matilda's and my interview with Heather Summerhayes Cariou. Last Friday, as part of our ongoing Author Conversations, we discussed the writing process behind her beautiful memoir Sixtyfive Roses: A Sister's Memoir. Heather had a lot of solid, practical advice for writers, and she's a strong advocate for editing.

The call is posted over on our site Women's Memoirs; I hope you'll take some time to listen in. It runs about an hour. We had great fun with Heather (especially so since she called in from Ireland to speak with us). And you'll all get to enjoy her in person this coming February as she is the keynote presenter for SCN's Fifth National Women's Memoir Conference.

In closing, here's one more quote. This one is from James Thurber in a 1959 memo:

"Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers, a counseling rather than a collaborating task. The tendency of the writer-editor to collaborate is natural, but he should say to himself, 'How can I help this writer to say it better in his own style?' and avoid 'How can I show him how I would write it, if it were my piece?'"

I agree completely.

Comments

[Janet Riehl]

Editing is so essential. It's not my favorite part of the process. Nor is the part I'm particularly good at, especially for my own writing.

I'm blessed to have a perfect editorial pairing for me: my longest term friend who knows my mind and my voice and my limitations. I learn so much from her each time we go through an editorial round.

Great post...and looks to be a marvelous service.

Janet Riehl