About Me
- Satima Flavell
- Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- I am based in Perth, Western Australia. You might enjoy my books - The Dagger of Dresnia, the first book of the Talismans Trilogy, is available at all good online book shops as is Book two, The Cloak of Challiver. Book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation. I trained in piano and singing at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. I also trained in dance (Scully-Borovansky, WAAPA) and drama (NIDA). Since 1987 I have been writing reviews of performances in all genres for a variety of publications, including Music Maker, ArtsWest, Dance Australia, The Australian and others. Now semi-retired, I still write occasionally for the ArtsHub website.
My books
The first two books of my trilogy, The Talismans, (The Dagger of Dresnia, and book two, The Cloak of Challiver) are available in e-book format from Smashwords, Amazon and other online sellers. Book three of the trilogy, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.I also have a short story, 'La Belle Dame', in print - see Mythic Resonance below - as well as well as a few poems in various places.
The best way to contact me is via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/satimaflavell
Buy The Talismans
The first two books of The Talismans trilogy were published by Satalyte Publications, which, sadly, has gone out of business. However, The Dagger of Dresnia and The Cloak of Challiver are available as ebooks on the usual book-selling websites, and book three, The Seer of Syland, is in preparation.
The easiest way to contact me is via Facebook.
The Dagger of Dresnia
The Cloak of Challiver, Book two of The Talismans
Mythic Resonance
Mythic Resonance is an excellent anthology that includes my short story 'La Belle Dame', together with great stories from Alan Baxter, Donna Maree Hanson, Sue Burstynski, Nike Sulway and nine more fantastic authors! Just $US3.99 from Amazon.
Got a Kindle? Check out Mythic Resonance.
Follow me on Twitter
Share a link on Twitter
For Readers, Writers & Editors
- A dilemma about characters
- Adelaide Writers Week, 2009
- Adjectives, commas and confusion
- An artist's conflict
- An editor's role
- Authorial voice, passive writing and the passive voice
- Common misuses: common expressions
- Common misuses: confusing words
- Common misuses: pronouns - subject and object
- Conversations with a character
- Critiquing Groups
- Does length matter?
- Dont sweat the small stuff: formatting
- Free help for writers
- How much magic is too much?
- Know your characters via astrology
- Like to be an editor?
- Modern Writing Techniques
- My best reads of 2007
- My best reads of 2008
- My favourite dead authors
- My favourite modern authors
- My influential authors
- Planning and Flimmering
- Planning vs Flimmering again
- Psychological Spec-Fic
- Readers' pet hates
- Reading, 2009
- Reality check: so you want to be a writer?
- Sensory detail is important!
- Speculative Fiction - what is it?
- Spelling reform?
- Substantive or linking verbs
- The creative cycle
- The promiscuous artist
- The revenge of omni rampant
- The value of "how-to" lists for writers
- Write a decent synopsis
- Write a review worth reading
- Writers block 1
- Writers block 2
- Writers block 3
- Writers need editors!
- Writers, Depression and Addiction
- Writing in dialect, accent or register
- Writing it Right: notes for apprentice authors
Interviews with authors
My Blog List
-
170 Medieval Coins Discovered in Sweden - Swedish archaeologists have discovered 170 silver coins dating to the 12th century. They were found in a grave on the island of Visingsö at Lake Vättern in...5 hours ago
-
Nicola Moriarty books… - This is the last of the three Moriarty sisters I’m following, reading and reviewing. Yes, it was an absorbing read, and yes, I will read more of her books....6 hours ago
-
Dukes, Fake Dating, & More - *The Sun and the Void* *The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz is $2.99 and a Kindle Daily Deal! This was mentioned on a Hide Your Wallet post an...6 hours ago
-
The Big Idea: Samantha Mills - Author Samantha Mills has a lot on her mind with The Wings Upon Her Back, and much of what is on her mind goes back… way back. Find out how the experiences...7 hours ago
-
In Praise of Episodic Enthusiasm - Do you worry, as I do, that you’ve frittered away your best years and are coming to your real work too late? If so, consider the examples of two nineteen...11 hours ago
-
How to co-write a book 3,000 miles apart: In Dialogue with Dickens [long read] - How to co-write a book 3,000 miles apart: In Dialogue with Dickens [long read] RB lives outside Boston in the United States, PD across the Mersey from L...12 hours ago
-
A To Z Blogging Challenge 2024 - Villains! - V Is For Voldemort - Voldemort, known to his followers as the Dark Lord, is the main villain of the Harry Potter series. The people of the wizarding community call him “...21 hours ago
-
Samantha M. Bailey - Samantha M. Bailey is the USA Today, Amazon Charts, and #1 international bestselling author of Woman on the Edge, Watch Out for Her, and A Friend in the Da...1 day ago
-
Plotting 101: Top 10 Tips For Crafting Compelling Stories - Plotting Like a Pro One of the most searched-for terms on this blog is ‘help with plotting’. Plot – aka structure if you’re a screenwriter – can be a tri...4 days ago
-
The Great Discworld Retrospective No. 14: Lords And Ladies - After the colossal success of Small Gods, you might think that Terry Pratchett might have wanted to try out some other new ideas. However, given the way th...4 days ago
-
Ada Lovelace - by Sue Purkiss - On a recent stay on Exmoor, I came across an article about someone called Ada Lovelace. I had vaguely heard of her, but if you'd asked me why, I wouldn'...6 days ago
-
5 Common Problems With Beginnings - *By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy* *If your beginning isn't working, no one will get to the ending.* A novel’s beginning is under a lot of pressure. It has...1 week ago
-
I promised photos from the trip - I feel like a slacker but I have been busy. There’s so much going on, so much to write about. We’ve been back six weeks. It feels like a short time and a l...1 week ago
-
I promised photos from the trip - I feel like a slacker but I have been busy. There’s so much going on, so much to write about. We’ve been back six weeks. It feels like a short time and a l...1 week ago
-
Mastering Blog Post Creation: 10 Essential Steps to Enhance Your Writing Process - The post Mastering Blog Post Creation: 10 Essential Steps to Enhance Your Writing Process appeared first on ProBlogger. It hits you like a TON of BRICKS!...1 week ago
-
Newsletter 16th April 2024 - Here’s a copy of my newsletter from April 16th, 2024. Sign up via my website to get newsletters directly to your inbox (and remember to check your Spam f...1 week ago
-
'The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople' in the revered The Conversation as one of five "Australian literary works of particular relevance to national conversations about AI" - I've always respected and admired *The Conversation, *so it is a humbling privilege to have 'The Tic-Toc Boy of Constantinople' written about in *The Con...2 weeks ago
-
Ourselves: 100 Micro Memoirs - I am lucky enough to have a non-fiction piece, ‘Helicopter Parents’, in this new release from Night Parrot Press, Ourselves: 100 Micro Memoirs. This is the...2 weeks ago
-
The Dead Boys Detective Agency. It is a very silly name. But accurate. - April 25th. DEAD BOY DETECTIVES. It's really good -- it's funny, it's smart, it's scary, and it even has a few familiar faces... (And no, you won...3 weeks ago
-
#3 WEP GET TOGETHER - APRIL 2024 - IT'S THE A - Z CHALLENGE! - Hi WEPpers and friends! Already time for out third Get Together. Life is flashing by! Hit us with your news, writerly or personal. We'd love to hear fro...3 weeks ago
-
Henry of Lancaster and His Children - The close bonds which Edward II's cousin Henry of Lancaster, earl of Lancaster and Leicester, forged with his children have fascinated me for a long time...3 weeks ago
-
Urbenville Adventure - Wow, Urbenville, what an adventure! An approach so tough I nearly threw up. Climbs so hard I’m still hurting. Plants so vicious, one grass-spike tore my co...3 weeks ago
-
Researching the birth of the first domestic violence refuge - Read a researcher's journey exploring the first few years of Chiswick Women's Aid. The post Researching the birth of the first domestic violence refuge ...5 weeks ago
-
Trip to Brazil 2024 - Landing in the Megalopolis of Sao Paulo On February 7th I flew to Sao Paulo, Brazil to start a 17 day teachi...1 month ago
-
Photo Parade 2023 - A bit of fun at the beginning of the new year. I’m following several German travel blogs, and that way came across the annual Photo Parade (Fotoparade) on ...3 months ago
-
Happy Public Domain Day 2024, the end of copyright for 1928 works - My annual reminder that January 1st is Public Domain Day, and this year copyright has ended for books, movies, and music first published in the U.S. in 192...3 months ago
-
The White Horse Band - Live Blues/Rock - 31 March 2023 Hi All, Time for some LIVE Video Music from me… (as opposed to my original stuff)…. I got into a blues/rock band for a one off gig at ...4 months ago
-
Konrath Thanksgiving - Black Friday - Cyber Monday Kindle Bundle Sale - *Get all of my ebook box sets on Amazon Kindle for 99 cents each, November 23 - 28.* *THAT'S 33¢ PER BOOK!* Almost my entire backlist of fifty-four ebooks...5 months ago
-
Questions from year 9 students - Recently – actually, not very recently but I somehow forgot to write this sooner – I did what has become an annual online Q&A with the Year 9 girls at Bedf...5 months ago
-
On Ohio, and the novels, and the new class - Just small news here. The new class is finished in first draft, and I’m now (and for the first time ever) doing the complete course bug-hunt and clean-up B...6 months ago
-
Big disruption hit book publishing before AI showed up - Publishers Weekly recently hosted a stimulating and smart online session about AI and publishing, thanks to the organizing and moderating skills of Peter...6 months ago
-
Flogometer 1180 for Christian—will you be moved to turn the page? - Submissions sought. Get fresh eyes on your opening page. Submission directions below. The Flogometer challenge: can you craft a first page that compels me ...8 months ago
-
Storny Weather - I've just been out fixing up the damage from last night's storm. This is pretty much the first time I've been able to spend much time outside and do any...8 months ago
-
#347 - I've been querying agents for the last 6-months and have over 50 rejections. I'm not sure if my novel isn't very interesting/sellable or if my query let...8 months ago
-
Parody - The other day, for the first time in a very long time, I heard the Barbie Song. So, being me, I decided to parody it, in hour of Alianore Audley and *The...9 months ago
-
Parody - The other day, for the first time in a very long time, I heard the Barbie Song. So, being me, I decided to write a parody. Hope you like it! *Hiya, Ali...9 months ago
-
To Live and Love - To live and love for the both of us Ten years ago today I made that vow I've struggled in the decade since Not always knowing exactly how Ten years you've...9 months ago
-
“It’s Random” – a random scribble - “Why am I even here? It’s random. No Divine Thing. No actual “purpose” except what we make of it. I haven’t made anything of it except to be restless, to a...9 months ago
-
#MemorialDay, remembering a female patriot ancestor - *© 2022 Christy K Robinson* We are taught stories about heroic men who gave their lives to bring independence and liberty to their families, friends--and...10 months ago
-
A tale of two titles - I have done something notably foolish. Which is perhaps nothing new, though the circumstances on this occasion are unusual. To whit, I am publishing two bo...1 year ago
-
Poem: If Wishes were horses - A team of horses racing toward me Brown like the uniforms of soldiers fortressing me around Speckled like a found family, salt of the earth Whit...1 year ago
-
another review for the Christmas Maze - *The Christmas Maze by Danny Fahey – a Review by David Collis* Why do we seek to be good, to make the world a better place? Why do we seek to be ethi...1 year ago
-
-
-
Children’s Rights QLD Ambassador - Children’s Rights QLD appointed Karen Tyrrell (me) Ambassador for Logan City, ahead of Children’s Week, 24-29 Oct 2022. I’m an award-winning child-empowe...1 year ago
-
ANWERING THE CALL: LESSONS FROM THE THRESHOLD - NEXT STORY SANCTUARY "Anwering the Call: Lessons from the Threshold" Sept. 20, 7 pm eastern $30 Online Whether you're starting a project, a school year, ...1 year ago
-
The Green House, Chapters 1-4 (Revised) - [Dear Reader: Having refined my intentions for this novel based on a lot of recent thinking about life and art, I have restructured and revised the first f...1 year ago
-
Publishing Contracts 101: Beware Internal Contradications - It should probably go without saying that you don't want your publishing contract to include clauses that contradict one another. Beyond any potential l...1 year ago
-
Tara Sharp is back and in audio book - SHARP IS BACK! Marianne Delacourt and Twelfth Planet Press are delighted to announce the fifth Tara Sharp story, a novella entitled RAZOR SHARP, will be ...1 year ago
-
Website Update - My website www.stephendedman.com has been updated, with details of my latest books; please check it out!2 years ago
-
Non-Binary Authors To Read: July 2021 - Non-Binary Authors To Read is a regular column from A.C. Wise highlighting non-binary authors of speculative fiction and recommending a starting place fo...2 years ago
-
ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE - Hey YOU! This isn’t the forum. You’re trying to login to the Web site. THE FORUMS ARE HERE: CLICK THIS The post ATTENTION: YOU CAN’T LOG IN HERE a...2 years ago
-
I'M INSIDE A SHORT STORY!! - Ok everyone, you have to read this very short short story. Firstly because it is good, (check out the Bligh story within it too), but also because I'm ...2 years ago
-
Grandmother Dragon Forever - It feels like centuries since the last time I wrote something for the Dragon Cave. Only something of great importance would drag me out of my retirement...3 years ago
-
-
What communicates power? - Well, I have to say, I wasn't expecting to get this far behind on my reports on the show, but the launch month was very busy, and then the next month turne...4 years ago
-
The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. - [image: The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning.] The Legendary Game Pac-Man Has No Meaning. Let's take a look at how this word came about. Actually, P...4 years ago
-
Readers Notice and They Care - Readers care about story details and they care about characters. Both last night and this afternoon I had conversations with readers upset about the way au...4 years ago
-
Review of Verdi's MacBeth (WA Opera) - *Our president, Frances Dharmalingham, has written a critique of a recent visit to the opera: Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’.* At Christmas 2018, my family’s gift to ...4 years ago
-
Breakout 3: tips for engaging your audience - Tips for engaging your audience: how to improve presentation, public speaking confidence and presence on stage, no matter how small the stage is. Present...4 years ago
-
The Trains Don't Stop Here - It's been a long, long time since my last blog post. One of the main reasons for this – apart from life being way too busy in general – is that, in my dwin...4 years ago
-
Portrait of a first generation freed African American family - Sanford Huggins (c.1844–1889) and Mary Ellen Pryor (c.1851–1889), his wife, passed the early years of their lives in Woodford County, Kentucky, and later...4 years ago
-
Revisiting the Comma Splice - One of the difficulties as an editor, particularly when working with fiction, is to know when to be a stickler for the rules. For some people this is not a...4 years ago
-
New releases - SFFBookBonanza - StoryOrigin - SciFi and Fantasy Book Sale - New Releases – Jul 2019 The latest and greatest new releases in Science Fiction and Fantasy books! New releases July 2019 99 cent sale - July 22nd - 28t...4 years ago
-
Assassin’s Apprentice Read Along - This month, in preparation for the October release of the Illustrated 25th Anniversary edition of Assassin’s Apprentice, with interior art by Magali Villan...4 years ago
-
STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S RIVERS OF LONDON - *STOLEN PICTURE OPTIONS TELEVISION RIGHTS TO BEN AARONOVITCH’S * *RIVERS OF LONDON* *London, UK: 29April 2019*: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s UK-based ...4 years ago
-
A Movie That No Writer Should See Alone - Really. REALLY. Trust me on this. particularly since this film, ‘Can you ever forgive me?’, is based on a ‘True story’ – and too many writers will see too...5 years ago
-
Review: Trace: who killed Maria James? - [image: Trace: who killed Maria James?] Trace: who killed Maria James? by Rachael Brown My rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely jaw-dropping, compelling readin...5 years ago
-
Dance Photo Shoots - Photo Session Planning & Preparation Have you ever wanted to do a photo shoot for dance but have been a little unsure about how and what really happens? ...5 years ago
-
On Indefinite Hiatus - (Which I pretty much have been from this site for a while already, but for real now.) You can find most archive content through the On Writing page, and li...6 years ago
-
2017 Ditmar Winners Announced - Over the Queen’s Birthday weekend, spec fic fans gathered for Continuum 13: Triskaidekaphilia. Continuum is always a great convention, and this year it was...6 years ago
-
Writing about the Crusades and talking about a "meddlesome priest" - The Middle Ages are in the news again, so here is a roundup of recent news articles. We start with three good reads from historians talking about the crusa...6 years ago
-
The One and the Many – every Sunday - My first serious girlfriend came from good Roman Catholic stock. Having tried (and failed) to be raised as a Christian child and finding nothing but lifele...6 years ago
-
A Shameless Plug Ian Likes: Bibliorati.com - A little-known fact is that I once had a gig reviewing books for five years. It was for a now-defunct website known as The Specusphere. It was awesome fun:...7 years ago
-
Book Review - Nobody by Threasa Meads - Available from BooktopiaThe subtitle for this work is *A Liminal Autobiography*. Liminal: 1. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process. 2...7 years ago
-
A whole 'nother year-and-a-bit - Well, we have let this blog slip, haven't we? I guess Facebook has taken over from blogs to a very large degree, but I think there is still a need for blo...7 years ago
-
2017 Potential Bee Calendar – & ladybirds and butterflies - Bees on flowers – all sorts of flowers (& bees) – and lady birds and butterflies. There were hundreds (literally) of photos to choose from. This is a small...7 years ago
-
What is dyslexia? - *" **The bottob line it thit it doet exitt, no bitter whit nibe teottle give it(i.e ttecific lierning ditibility, etc) iccording to Thilly Thiywitz ( 2003)...8 years ago
-
Rai stones - *(Paraphrased from Wikipedia)*: Rai stones were, and in some cases are still, the currency of the island once called Yap. *They are stone coins which at th...10 years ago
-
Cherries In The Snow - This recipe is delicious and can also be made as a diet dessert by using fat and/or sugar free ingredients. It’s delicious and guests will think it took ...11 years ago
-
Al Milgrom’s connection to “Iron Man” - Via the Ann Arbor online newspaper - I felt it was worth repeating as a great example of Marvel doing the right thing by a former employee and without the ...13 years ago
Favourite Sites
- Alan Baxter
- Andrew McKiernan
- Bren McDibble
- Celestine Lyons
- Guy Gavriel Kay
- Hal Spacejock (Simon Haynes)
- Inventing Reality
- Jacqueline Carey
- Jennifer Fallon
- Jessica Rydill
- Jessica Vivien
- Joel Fagin
- Juliet Marillier
- KA Bedford
- Karen Miller
- KSP Writers Centre
- Lynn Flewelling
- Marianne de Pierres
- Phill Berrie
- Ryan Flavell
- Satima's Professional Editing Services
- SF Novelists' Blog
- SF Signal
- Shane Jiraiya Cummings
- Society of Editors, WA
- Stephen Thompson
- Yellow wallpaper
Blog Archive
Places I've lived: Manchester, UK
Places I've lived: Gippsland, Australia
Places I've lived: Geelong, Australia
Places I've lived: Tamworth, NSW
Places I've Lived - Sydney
Places I've lived: Auckland, NZ
Places I've Lived: Mount Gambier
Places I've lived: Adelaide, SA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Day
Places I've lived: High View, WV
Places I've lived: Lynton, Devon, UK
Places I've lived: Braemar, Scotland
Places I've lived: Barre, MA, USA
Places I've Lived: Perth by Night
Search This Blog
Monday 3 October 2011
An editor's role
Monday, October 03, 2011 |
Posted by
Satima Flavell
Recently, a friend sent me a link to
an article in The Guardian by restaurant reviewer Giles Coren. My friend said that was exactly how he felt
about his writing.
As fiction writers, we do feel very
protective of our work. Our stories are like babies we have birthed and
parented. We like to think they are perfect, and that not one word should be changed.
A few weeks in a good critiquing group, however,
is usually enough to show writers that their work is not perfect and can be
improved, but even so, there is always that flash of resentment when someone
wants to alter one of their darlings. It can take a long time to wean that
baby, and the process is painful for the parent!
But we're talking here not about fiction but about writing for journals, and in that light I think Coren’s tirade is
sheer wankery. As an editor, I feel I should put the other side of the story
forward.
For a start, Coren is not writing the Great British Novel. He is writing ephemera. Writing that goes into a newspaper, journal or online zine is always edited without consultation – it's just the way it's done, because of tight deadlines. And for any writer to be so precious as to be highly offended at the removal of an indefinite article is just laughable.
Nobody
likes having their work altered, and I agree that sometimes sub-editing is done
less than skilfully, simply because there is a deadline to meet. The worst
instance of this in my experience happened when I faxed off a review to the
Australian and the next morning received the phone-message equivalent of a
poison-pen letter from the artist concerned, complaining bitterly about the
"mean-spirited review". I found out why when I opened the paper – my
review had been cut in half, and only the negative criticisms made it into
print. (I only got paid for the part that was published, too, but that’s the
way the system works.)
This
episode was largely my fault. The golden rule of criticism is "put the
good stuff first", and for some reason, on this occasion, I did not. All
the good stuff was at the bottom of the article – the part that got sliced “on
the stone” as they used to say in those pre-electronic days, probably to make
room for a last minute ad or "stop press" paragraph. Mea culpa, mea
culpa – but it taught me never to break that rule again.
As
I understand it, when a sub removes a small word, it's usually because leaving
it in would result in a "widow" on the next line. Apart from wasting
valuable space in a print journal, orphans and widows are anathema to layout
people. One sorry little word sitting on its own, looking lost, can spoil the
whole look of a page. Because, you see, a layout person is, in his or her own
way, also an artist, one with different sensibilities. The rhythm of reading the
work out loud means little to the layout person, I fear. And in any case, who
reads the bloody newspaper out loud, for heaven's sake?
(A “widow”
BTW, is a word or phrase that hangs out on its own at the top of a page or column,
while an “orphan” is a word or phrase – usually a heading of some kind – that is
left alone on the bottom of a page of column. It does depend, though on whose
definition you read!)
But
all that I've just said only applies to writing for ephemera. Fiction writing, of course, is a
different matter. There, ongoing consultation is the norm, to-ing and fro-ing
until the work is satisfactory to both writer and editor – within a given
deadline, of course. And in fiction, the writer has the last say – but the
editor has right of veto, if not on that work, then the next. A writer who
stets every tiny word and every comma will pretty soon find herself without
anyone to publish her work. Word of such things gets around.
One
only has to look at the morass of badly-written, unedited, self-published works
on the market to see that the editor, whether of journals or books, performs an
essential task in bringing the reader a product that delivers value for money.
And that, friends, is the bottom line in any industry, even an arts-based one.
Perhaps especially in an arts-based one, because all performers, all visual
artists, all writers, are competing for that same tiny slice of people's
purses, and if we produce a sub-standard product it will not sell. The fact
that we editors hurt people's feelings now and then must be balanced against
the fact that we help many, many others to create a better product. For, make
no mistake, a writer's work is a product. It may also be a work of art, but
only history can judge that.
An
editor is to a writer what a choreographer is to a dancer, or a conductor is to
an orchestra. If you're a fiction writer, try to be grateful to your editor for
helping you to produce something that really shines, something more people will
want to read!
And
if you're a reviewer or a feature writer, for God’s sake just smile and take
the money.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
agree about the spamming!
Just wanted to say I agree with the process of editing. I've always thought that the original draft is like a limp of rock you've pulled from the ground with the opal, diamond or gold visible. Further drafts reveal the treasure, editing is like cutting it and polishing it to reveal the stunning beauty.
Good post, Satima.
Keira
Good analogy, Keira - one I'll try to live up to!
And a very fine editor you are, too, Satima! :-)
I've always felt that the editor's job is to make my book look the best it can. I remember when my first book reached its final draft, and my very first editor, Beth Dolan, asked me, "How do you feel about it?" and I admitted that I felt rather proud of it - something I hadn't with earlier drafts. The editor, mind you, doesn't always get it right, but when I feel they're wrong, I explain why and if they still feel the way they did, I do my best to accommodate. Or I just do what I can anyway, but still explain my issue.
I haven't written for ephemera before, but I remember learning about the "Pyramid" thing when I was doing short course in freelance journalism.
Ah yes, the Pyramid! And there's a Football, too - did you learn that one? The pyramid is a news item: the football is a review or feature. It's an Aussie Rules footie, of course, with points at each end:-).
I think most fiction writers who've worked with a sympathetic editor soon realise the value of the process, but you do get the odd "precious" one!
Hey, I just noticed your first comment, Sue. Ta muchly:-).
Fantastic post Satima,
I'm new to the writing game so was very surprised when my editor told me what a pleasure it was to work with a writer who was actually open to constructive criticism. She was used to fighting with writers tooth and nail throughout the editing process. This baffles me – why fight someone who's only trying to make your work better?
I've only had a couple of "precious" writers, thank heaven! Most writers, even the more experienced ones, are always keen to improve. In fact, the best people to edit are the ones who've already been published by major houses. I've found them to be humble and always willing to listen to suggestions. That's probably why they are already published and the "precious" ones aren't!
Mind you, I had been used to working with one editor when I sold my first novel. Beth Dolan for the first, Sarah Brenan for the second, Penny Matthews, etc. And then I sold Wolfborn and there was a reader's report, which was fine, the reader was the editor (I never actually worked with her directly, I got en email from Leonie Tyle saying, "Here's what (the editor) says" and then comments from the editor - again, sent to me by Leonie. So when that was done, I thought that was that - but no. There was yet another editor. That was done and then - the proofreader had some things to say! As it happened, the publisher and other editor thought it was strange, but let me read the comments anyway, just in case it was of help to me.
One thing I have no problem being precious about is when someone re-writes my work rather than letting me do it. I'm not talking here about the word "a" but an entire new paragraph or several written by the proofreader - not the editor - and in a style so different from mine that anyone reading the story would notice immediately. I don't scream, but I offer to do my own re-write, if one is necessary.
In the Olden Days, I gather it was normal to have an editor, a copyeditor and a proofreader, but a second editor sounds a bit extravagant! Probably better than a no-editor-at-all policy, though! OTOH, too many cooks can certainly spoil the broth.
I don't think you're being precious if someone actually rewrites your work, Sue. That's certainly exceeding a proofreader's command! I - and, I think, most editors - will often suggest a rewording, but it's up to the author to treat that as raw clay to be modelled, as you did. A proofreader does have the task of noting incorrect words and other solecisms that the copy-editor might have missed, though.
And isn't it funny - even after four people have worked on a ms, the odd typo can remain. I reckon the computer sneaks them in, just to be mean:-).