BronxWench

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Or, since this is AFF, after all... Orion Zabini Potter by Slayer-of-Destiny

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I completely agree that it's possible to over-edit. I do it all the time, and then I slap myself silly and move on. I think because we care this much about our writing, it means we're always going to be sweaty-palmed and anxious until someone tells us that we did good. And Clover, I actually have come out of the editing wringer feeling a whole lot better about myself as a writer. This does not mean that I won't whine just as much the next time, though.

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The first time I had to deal with an editor was probably the most emotionally fraught thing I've done as a writer. There is absolutely nothing more demoralizing than having a total stranger read your work, work that a publisher has offered a contract for, and hear, "This is a great story. Really. Now, let's just pretty much rewrite everything from the dedication onward, shall we?" I cried literal tears. I was sure the emotional heart of the story had just been gutted. I knew I'd never be able to recognize what was going to come out at the other end of this literary grinder. I whined with great enthusiasm to my editor, my family, my friends, and anyone who'd listen. I even blogged my woes. And then I knuckled down and started making the changes, one by painful one. The end result was a much tighter, much more coherent story (although I still take issue with all the descriptors). I did apologize after the second pass, when I could see how much better the story was, but gods... It was brutal. I mean, I welcome concrit, but this was concrit with a box cutter. So, the second time around, I tried very hard to incorporate what I'd learned in that first editing massacre. My second manuscript that was accepted was (I thought) lots tighter. And I had a new editor as well, so fresh eyes. Okay, I expected comments. You always get comments. I got a list of words to banish, a huge amount of tweaks as far as those pesky descriptors, and a guitar. Don't ask. I had no idea one of my MCs could even play. I whined about certain things, yes. I wasn't quite as blindsided as I'd been the first time, but it was still hard, and it hurt to have to cut some of what I cut. However, this second time around, I remembered something. This is really important, too, and deserves saying, over and over again: It's MY story. There were some points where my editor and I butted heads, and I stood my ground. If I thought it was important to the story, it stayed. I dropped whole scenes when we simply couldn't make them work. I gave in places, and I stood firm in others, and the manuscript ended up as MY story. Well, except for the guitar. We're losing the guitar in the next book in the series.

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I frequently have elves or other fey as characters, so technically, "male" is more appropriate than "man" for them. But point taken in the context of human characters, very much so.

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My editor liked using alternatives to pronouns and names in my first published male/male novella. At some point, I'll revise that novella and fix some of that nonsense. I do understand that it's hard when writing to use pronouns all the time, and using names over and over is only marginally better, but you learn to find a balance, or should.

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