I am taking some time to CLEAN UP (caps much called for, as I sort through piles of dusty magazines and other assorted papers). In and among the dust, I have found old articles I wrote for student newspapers and old pitches I made, back in the day. One of them I happened upon and it made me smile.
I remember being frightfully affected by editors, perhaps still today, but more so ten plus years ago. I found a perfectly good pitch I made once upon a time, when I was an intern at Toronto Life magazine. I called it “The cultured runner” and itemized some of the quirky/entertaining/historical sights and cool restaurants one could encounter when training for a marathon.
The pitch is not brilliance on the page, no. But neither is it terrible. And it was returned to me with this comment: “Most of what you’d want to know on your run you could get from regularly reading Toronto Life or books about Toronto.” Geez. Ya think?
Anyway, I smile while posting this for the snobbery, which is so very common amongst editors in general. Had I known at that time that so many editors are insecure assholes,* it would have helped me immensely on the journey, so I pass this information on for aspiring young writers today.
*Strong language, not typical of this blog. But I can’t think of a more fitting epithet.
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Thanks for this Andrea! I remember once upon a time considering becoming an editor. That was, until I read that an editor need not be a lover of great writing, in fact, an editor may not enjoy reading at all. It was then I knew it wasn’t for me. People who love reading don’t approach pieces of writing as things to be nit-picked and criticized, rather, they enjoy the experience and internal dialog of the reading process. I didn’t want to lose my soul to the devil that is editing and literary criticism, thus, I’m not an editor! 😉
I am, er, an editor for my team at work right now. I will recheck myself to be sure, but I hope I edit with a sense of “this was already good, but everyone needs an editor, so here are my suggestions for tightening it up” rather than “I can’t believe you submitted this inferior piece of work.”
I personally genuinely appreciate (and ask for) tough editors, and would hereby like to clarify that tough editors are not necessarily asshole editors. 🙂
Okay, here’s an editor with 35 years of experience with my take. That editor was a jerk and not worthy of the name. A good editor is a partner to the writer, doing their best to help the writer say what they want to say. There are many great examples of inspired editor/writer relationships – I think of Caroline Gordon and Flannery O’Connor for one.
Some editors are snooty and insecure, and my guess is that they don’t last very long, unless, just like in any other field, they’re so darn good at their job that their employer overlooks their lousy people skills. This example is fictional, but there seem to be a great many fans of Dr. House…
There are also different kinds of editor. Copy editors are simply paid to be picky and for most of them, it’s in their nature. Not terribly inspiring or exciting, but they often catch serious errors that writers make and save their skin. You always know when an editor is not good. I read a biography of the Vaniers this past year, and the names of two prime ministers of Canada were misspelled. Certainly editors hear about their mistakes. They may make 1,000 positive changes to a manuscript, but if they miss a couple – like the names above – nobody tells them that 980 out of 1,000 is a good score. When I was copy-editing, I used to remind myself myself that it wasn’t brain surgery – at least my mistakes weren’t going to kill anyone.
A good editor should be more than someone who knows lots of picky rules. They should have a feel for language and strong writing skills. Clear thinking, wide knowledge, negotiating skills, knowing when to push a point, tact, and kindness are helpful too.
PS: There may be those who criticize my punctuation or syntax in the above comment – fair enough, there’s room for criticism. Just wanted people to know that I typed hurriedly and didn’t self-edit.
Thanks, Maura, great summary of what it means to be an editor! And yes, I’d take it as a given that all blog posts and comments are done on the fly (mine included!), no dictionary in hand.