HOW TO KILL YOUR DARLINGS, PART 1

SIDESTEPPING THE EDITOR’S BRAIN

I recently watched LONGREADS Episode 331 of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast by Brendan O’Meara, in which he interviews The Atavist editor Jonah Ogles and writer/editor-in-chief Seyward Darby.

Seyward and Ogles provide a glimpse into a successful and harmonious process between author and editor, and I wonder how many readers are aware of this important relationship when they open the first page of a new novel.

Whatever the intention may be of the written version of what you want someone to understand, that written idea or product is developed out of your own specialised field of reference and expertise. This could be the content on any page/pages which eventually end up making no sense to your reader, unless that content is addressed specifically to your desired audience or reader in the kind of language they can understand. Whether it is: a fictional novel or non-fiction manuscript, an academic thesis, a technical instruction manual, or a corporate marketing communications campaign or credentials presentation, it becomes useless when it cannot be understood. The saying you cannot talk butterfly language to caterpillars is very true. The first step of a good editor is to research and understand the mind of the reader – the caterpillar – to whom this butterfly must eventually speak; to employ the best practice for talking to that audience.

Many people ask what the difference is between an editor and a proofreader, and the simplest answer is that the proofreader only checks the grammar and spelling in a document, while the editor does that too, but also tells the writer: this is how you could say it better.

Writer-editor relationships walk a fine line between familiar and professional. They’re built on mutual respect. They’re transactional but also, because they involve something as subjective as writing, deeply personal. The writer must trust the editor’s fresh eyes and insight.

Working with an editor is, in fact, so important that some authors, particularly fiction writers, begin their writing process with a developmental editor’s support. However, most authors only seek the services of an editor at the end stages of their process, and, depending on how much work was put into the first draft, hiring an entire editorial team may sometimes be necessary. If this sounds costly and time-consuming, it definitely can be, but these are included in the cost of publishing a book. See the link below to get an idea of those costs.[i]

In Darby’s interview she talks about her experience of hanging the editor hat on the hook so she could sidestep her “editor brain” while reporting and writing — the other hats. The divide doesn’t have to be impermeable, but it’s easy to imagine how editor brain blocks forward progress.

“When I sit down to write, I’m immediately also editing,” she says. “I sit down and I’m like, ‘Well, this sentence I just wrote could already be better’ as opposed to ‘just get out what you need to say.’ It’s almost like my brain is in constant editing mode.”[ii]

“And then you’re pulling back those scars and putting your story in the hands of a stranger who becomes a little more than a stranger over time. You have to trust that they handle it responsibly. That’s got to be really, really hard.” A lot of times writers are working with editors and maybe they feel like, “What do editors know? They’re not writers.”

The Author Christopher Hitchens once remarked that “Authors who moan with praise for their editors always seem to reek slightly of the Stockholm syndrome.”

I chatted to author Zelda Bezuidenhout about this, and I asked if Hitchens was right, I mean Stockholm syndrome is, after all, a psychological response that occurs when hostages or abuse victims bond with their captors or abusers? Does it have to be a traumatic process to work with an editor?

“I have worked with three different editors and I have a unique relationship with each of them. They are all highly respected and talented individuals. Number One is the person who “discovered” me. Like a baby bird imprinting on the first living thing it sees when it emerges from the egg, I feel deeply indebted to her. I suspect I’m too eager to please her even though at times she’s been rather blunt in her criticism of my manuscripts. So yes, there could be a bit of a Stockholm-thing going on there!

I met Number Two in a Cape Town coffee shop after we’d sent many e-mails to and fro. I’d presumed she would be more or less my age, so I was shocked when a young woman approached me. “Aren’t you too young to be doing this?” I blurted out over my Truth cortado. Looking back, I can’t believe how ageist I was. I reacted exactly the way I would have if our daughter asked me at twelve years of age whether she could get a tattoo. Needless to say, Editor Number Two proved to be wise beyond her years. After working on two novels with her, we feel like a really good fit. She saved me from a rather embarrassing Deus ex Machina element in my first book, Die dekonstruksie van Retta Blom. In the world of publishing, this kind of thing is up there with saving a life. So yes, I’m grateful to her for many reasons. But I don’t feel dependent or restricted in any way.

Editor Number Three came into the picture when I had already published six novels. Say what you will, editors are simply kinder to published authors. And by that I mean they have higher expectations and are probably a little biased. So Number Three has been the easiest ride so far.”

What advice would you give to writers, given your own experience of working with editors?

“The author/editor relationship is a delicate one. As the writer of the book, it’s your job to make sure your voice remains authentic. Even good editors have bad habits. Finding that perfect balance of respect and free-flowing creativity is what you both should aim for. So try to keep your cool, never take anything personally and remember that it’s a process. Always wait at least a week (deadline allowing) to reply to your editor’s suggestions. I have found that a week sometimes transforms me from a mortally offended hot mess into a rational being who can actually evaluate an intelligent point of view that is not my own.”

Zelda Bezuidenhout was born in Zambia but moved to South Africa as a young girl. She worked as an advertising copywriter in Johannesburg for most of her adult life and only started writing books at the age of 56.

Her first book, the youth novel “As mens geluk kon proe” was the runner-up in Lapa Publishers’ youth novel competition in 2017. It has since been translated into English and was published as “Confessions of a Ginger Pudding” in September 2021.

Her first book for adults, “Die dekonstruksie van Retta Blom” was published by Kwela Books in July 2019. Another youth novel, “Die 6 weke van Thomas en Ella”, followed in September 2019. “Toe ons oneindig was” was published in June 2020. A first for Afrikaans YA fiction, it’s a coming of age story with a lesbian protagonist.

A youth book for readers between 10 and 13 followed in March 2021. “Die drie van ons” is a beautiful story about being 12 and trying to figure out your place in this world.

Zelda’s latest book is a medical suspense novel titled “Die waarde van Stil Bure.” It tells the story of Magdaleen Verster, an ordinary young woman who finds herself entangled in the controversial and sometimes dark world of stem cell research.

Zelda lives in Parys, Free State with her husband Izak.[iii] [Goodreads]

SOURCES / FURTHER READING

[i] https://self-publishingschool.com/need-a-book-editor/#:~:text=Most%20authors%20seek%20the%20help,cost%20of%20publishing%20a%20book.

[ii] http://cindyphillips.co.za/read/feeds/22973954/posts/4270742322

[iii] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19339217.Zelda_Bezuidenhout

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