On Writing: The revisions letter and what it's for...

[lagilman]

The true goal of an editorial letter isn't to say what's wrong and how to fix it. It's to poke and prod at areas that seem weak, and force the author to come up with the fixes.

example:

Editor: "Joe Biden has the potential to be an awesome character, but I don't feel like he lives up to it as of now."

Author: "Huh. I don't really have anything else for him to do. But I could expand the scene he's in there, to show XYZ. And, huh, yeah, I could add a scene here that shows ABC, which would explain better what he does XYZ and sets up something he'll do during the second term... yeah. Oh, oooo, that would work nicely."

An editorial letter that pokes and prods leaves you feeling bruised... but the overall fitness of the book is much improved for it. :-)

[of course, even the best editorial letter still has bits that leave the author going "um, NO. Did you totally miss the point? Argh." Sometimes that means you didn't establish the point well enough. Sometimes it means La Editor missed the point. ;-)]


warning: if people respond, I may continue my real-time thoughts and gripes on the revision process. So think carefully before you hit 'reply"!

Comments

[ilvack.livejournal.com]

I tend to do a lot of the same thing as a Writing Tutor. After I read a students paper I have to try to find the areas where they need to expand upon and get them to do it without writing the paper for them.

My favorite students are the ones who are terrific writers who can have an actual conversation with me about their work, and who can take suggestions and run with them. Those sessions are always a pleasure. They are able to talk openly about the problems in their papers and be open to ways to work through those problems. They also know when to tell me to sit on it when they don't want to change something.

I think my least favorite, or rather most frustrating, are the students who are terrible writers but insist they are the next Great American Novelist. Grammar aside, they tend to start a paper with the death penalty and end it with their favorite types of wallpaper. These students never seem to be able to take suggestions, and it feels like they came in just to get conformation that they are fantastic writers.


-Sorry, didn't mean to go on quite that long of a ramble.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

[of course, even the best editorial letter still has bits that leave the author going "um, NO. Did you totally miss the point? Argh." Sometimes that means you didn't establish the point well enough. Sometimes it means La Editor missed the point. ;-)]

I have found, both on the sending and receiving end of such letters, that the former is far more common than the latter. *grin*

[lagilman]

Sometimes, maybe even most times. Not always. Speaking as former editor, editors are not infallible. The trick is letting the work, and not the writer's ego, determine it.

[kradical.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely. And of course editors are fallible -- I mean, they let me into the club.....

[lagilman]

no. comment.


*adjusts halo*

[klingonguy.livejournal.com]

bad news. the standards have dropped even lower. I'm in the club.

[signeh.livejournal.com]

Is it okay to point a couple of friends in the direction of this post? It's directly on target to a discussion we've been having all weekend.

[lagilman]

point away! Always useful to be glad. Er, or something like that.

[tezmilleroz.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong of me to wish you really are writing a character named Joe Biden? ;-)

Have a lovely day! :-)

[lagilman]

well, we're about to have a geek president, so maybe I wouldn't get wiretapped if I did....

[handlebar605.livejournal.com]

I just want to say, that I've finally finished reading "Free Fall" and I'm glad you didn't kill off Wren

[lagilman]

aw, go on, ruin the suspense for everyone, why don't you? :-P

(seriously. There's another book scheduled for May. Tough (if not impossible) to kill off the main driving character and keep the series running. Now, what terrible things I do in BLOOD FROM STONE, before moving on to Bonnie's story in HARD MAGIC.... *evil chuckle*)

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

Oh! This is awesome food for thought! :)

[lagilman]

well, that's two votes for me babbling on... anyone say "for the love of all that's decent, nay!"?

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

*prays for a no* Also, your icon on the main post-- the "Madness" one? Is made of pure win.

[fakefrenchie.livejournal.com]

I used to ask these kinds of questions with my clients. But they ignored them. Now, I just write what I think they should have in that place and they either say "You're brilliant" or "You didn't understand what I meant" and then proceed to fill in what they meant. But I don't think that would work with real writers (as opposed to researchers).

[lagilman]

researchers are an entirely different kettle of kittens.