[Writer Post] Amber Benson and Editing
Today is Wednesday, which means writer post. And while I’m writing this at lunch, I’m listening (on headphones) to an interview Amber Benson did with The Nerdist. And the headphones better not come out – because it’s totally not safe for work…but it’s fascinating. That’s just an aside…and man, there are no censor issues with podcasts.
Though I am very excited to know that Amber Benson has signed on for new series after the Calliope Reaper-Jones series is over in March – yes, the 5th and last book of the series comes out in March. Listening to the podcast is technically “work†since she’s going to be one our FenCon X guests in October. She’s one of the handful of authors I would Beta Read for in a heartbeat – Rosemary Clement-Moore is another.
I’m listening to this interview for a couple of reasons – not just to have something weirdly entertaining to listen while working. But also to get a sense of who I’m dealing with in October. And… to avoid actually dealing with an editorial issue for my freelance gig.
Yeah… I’ve never had this issue with fiction editors – if an editor asks me to do something. I do it. Because 9 times out of 10 it does make the story better. And though it’s weird, it’s best (unless it makes the content completely different) to suck it up and do it. There are times, though where you have to have the conversation with the editor about what the heck they’re talking about.
That just happened to me – not a fiction editor, non-fiction. It’s not an easy thing to do. Because you want to be a flexible writer, but sometimes the notes make no sense. Or, in this case, your questions get tossed up the food chain without you knowing it and not only do I get the “This is what we do here†email – but apparently instigates a Company Wide EMAIL about “This is what we do hereâ€. That’s fun.
So if you’re a writer… think twice about your edits and your editor. They really are trying to make things better even if you look at the notes and say, “HUH?â€