Thursday, March 24, 2005
What Makes It All Worthwhile
11:29 PM
So I bought this novel recently: a foreign publisher gave me a tip, long story short, the agent and the author and I, it's one of those love-at-first-sight things... Thing about it is, you know from the first clause of the first sentence of the first page that you're in the hands of someone great, a real god-damn talent. So we do a deal, I could not be happier, and I know for sure the feeling's mutual.
Life's hard in some ways, though, so despite the good vibe, it takes me a little while to edit the manuscript (yes, even love-at-first-sight things get all scuffed up in the margins, at least the ones I edit), so now I've read it, close, two times. I call her up, tell her all over again how great the book is, that the ms. is on its way, just a few minor things. She says great, look forward to seeing your comments.
Yesterday, 6:07 p.m., I realize I've got a phone message from herself, this writer I mentioned earlier. I call her; she's gone through the manuscript now, has some questions. We talk through a couple of points, then we get to this one note I scribbled up the side of a page. She says, I have no idea what you're talking about here. I laugh, I re-read it, re-orient myself, finally figure it out. Oh, OK, I say, she can't do it that way because back here on page...
...and suddenly it occurs to us--her first, then me--that even though I'd given this book two pretty close readings, and knew it to be a thing of genius, there was one thing I didn't know: what the book meant. Turns out that I'd totally misread something really important--which meant two things at once. First, yes, that I'm a dumb-ass; but second, that maybe she hadn't built her scaffolding quite so cleanly as she needed to to avoid dumb-asses like me from maybe missing something really important.
OK, I can hear you writer-folk out there: OUCH! You wanna know how bad things are in publishing? An editor, and a supposedly stand-up guy too, buys a book HE DOESN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND! The only thing that could be worse is if he then tried to get her to change it to fit how he'd (mis-)read it in the first place--Oh, please God don't tell me he...
Well, OK, it does sound bad, I admit it. Especially since about 30 minutes of our one-hour conversation was, indeed, spent on my trying to sell her a line of bullshit about how, even though it wasn't the ending she intended, she should give her subconscious the benefit of the doubt, one knows not how worketh the creative process, et cetera.
Yeah: sounds really bad. But--know what? It was actually fantastic. Two pros, a writer and her editor, working together on a thing they're both profoundly invested in. You wanna talk creative brainstorming? What's that old-saw college textbook essay about the writing process, the one that includes the actual marginal doodles, and the doodling reveals a moth, and thus Annie Dillard wrote "The Death of The Moth"--remember that one? Well, let me tell you: we had a whole goddamn room full of moths. Except they're not moths, thank God, they're bricks, and we're figuring out how to build a house, from scratch, just the two of us.
And, sure--say what you will about how this whole thing started with some dumb-ass editor misreading the work of an author he supposedly admires utterly--but as the dumb-ass editor in question, I'm here to testify that for the hour we were on the phone, dropping our plumb-lines and positioning our cinder-blocks, I was the happiest man alive. Because we were in it together. GOD what a great job I have sometimes, to crawl inside with the master crafters; and not just watching, either: for some inexplicable reason, I'm afforded the opportunity now and again to work alongside...
***
We knew we'd had a productive session--easy for me to say, because all I did was say, "What if?"; when we get off the phone at about 7:00 last night, I get to go home; she's the one who has to do the actual work. I tell her to give a yell when she's ready, figuring it'll be a couple of weeks, maybe more.
***
Tonight--the time-stamp reads 10:17 p.m.--she emails me back. Here's a new crack at the ending, she says. When you get a chance, she says. "It's still a little rough," she says. "But you'll get the general idea."
So I open the attachment and start to read, and it's l.a.f.s. all over again. In one try, she nailed it--solved not just the problem of, shall we say, my little misunderstanding, but in twenty pages (and 27 hours, no less) she amplified and intensified all of the central emotional currents. I was stunned, elated--moved nearly to tears a couple of times. In my reply (time-stamp: 11:36) I told her (in not quite these words) the simple truth, which is that she's a genius, and that she's turned a brilliant book into a masterpiece.
And then I wrote "this is what makes it all worth while." And then I hit "send." And then I felt so god-damn good that I sat down here to tell you all about my incredible good fortune. To give an example, in case anyone ever asks, of why someone might ever want to be an editor.
Time-stamp: 12:46 a.m.
Life's hard in some ways, though, so despite the good vibe, it takes me a little while to edit the manuscript (yes, even love-at-first-sight things get all scuffed up in the margins, at least the ones I edit), so now I've read it, close, two times. I call her up, tell her all over again how great the book is, that the ms. is on its way, just a few minor things. She says great, look forward to seeing your comments.
Yesterday, 6:07 p.m., I realize I've got a phone message from herself, this writer I mentioned earlier. I call her; she's gone through the manuscript now, has some questions. We talk through a couple of points, then we get to this one note I scribbled up the side of a page. She says, I have no idea what you're talking about here. I laugh, I re-read it, re-orient myself, finally figure it out. Oh, OK, I say, she can't do it that way because back here on page...
...and suddenly it occurs to us--her first, then me--that even though I'd given this book two pretty close readings, and knew it to be a thing of genius, there was one thing I didn't know: what the book meant. Turns out that I'd totally misread something really important--which meant two things at once. First, yes, that I'm a dumb-ass; but second, that maybe she hadn't built her scaffolding quite so cleanly as she needed to to avoid dumb-asses like me from maybe missing something really important.
OK, I can hear you writer-folk out there: OUCH! You wanna know how bad things are in publishing? An editor, and a supposedly stand-up guy too, buys a book HE DOESN'T EVEN UNDERSTAND! The only thing that could be worse is if he then tried to get her to change it to fit how he'd (mis-)read it in the first place--Oh, please God don't tell me he...
Well, OK, it does sound bad, I admit it. Especially since about 30 minutes of our one-hour conversation was, indeed, spent on my trying to sell her a line of bullshit about how, even though it wasn't the ending she intended, she should give her subconscious the benefit of the doubt, one knows not how worketh the creative process, et cetera.
Yeah: sounds really bad. But--know what? It was actually fantastic. Two pros, a writer and her editor, working together on a thing they're both profoundly invested in. You wanna talk creative brainstorming? What's that old-saw college textbook essay about the writing process, the one that includes the actual marginal doodles, and the doodling reveals a moth, and thus Annie Dillard wrote "The Death of The Moth"--remember that one? Well, let me tell you: we had a whole goddamn room full of moths. Except they're not moths, thank God, they're bricks, and we're figuring out how to build a house, from scratch, just the two of us.
And, sure--say what you will about how this whole thing started with some dumb-ass editor misreading the work of an author he supposedly admires utterly--but as the dumb-ass editor in question, I'm here to testify that for the hour we were on the phone, dropping our plumb-lines and positioning our cinder-blocks, I was the happiest man alive. Because we were in it together. GOD what a great job I have sometimes, to crawl inside with the master crafters; and not just watching, either: for some inexplicable reason, I'm afforded the opportunity now and again to work alongside...
***
We knew we'd had a productive session--easy for me to say, because all I did was say, "What if?"; when we get off the phone at about 7:00 last night, I get to go home; she's the one who has to do the actual work. I tell her to give a yell when she's ready, figuring it'll be a couple of weeks, maybe more.
***
Tonight--the time-stamp reads 10:17 p.m.--she emails me back. Here's a new crack at the ending, she says. When you get a chance, she says. "It's still a little rough," she says. "But you'll get the general idea."
So I open the attachment and start to read, and it's l.a.f.s. all over again. In one try, she nailed it--solved not just the problem of, shall we say, my little misunderstanding, but in twenty pages (and 27 hours, no less) she amplified and intensified all of the central emotional currents. I was stunned, elated--moved nearly to tears a couple of times. In my reply (time-stamp: 11:36) I told her (in not quite these words) the simple truth, which is that she's a genius, and that she's turned a brilliant book into a masterpiece.
And then I wrote "this is what makes it all worth while." And then I hit "send." And then I felt so god-damn good that I sat down here to tell you all about my incredible good fortune. To give an example, in case anyone ever asks, of why someone might ever want to be an editor.
Time-stamp: 12:46 a.m.
28 comments:
I'm at this same point in the editorial process with my editor and loving it. After being holed up with my words for so long while I wrote the darned thing, I find it to be an incredibly freeing experience to share the detail and craft of my work with someone who has read and re-read my manuscript.
Those dumb-ass moments come for the writer as well. (Finding that you made a secondary character's hair blonde in one chapter and it's turned black when they reappear later in the book. - And I don't care how good you think you are, or how many times you told yourself you wouldn't be one of those writers who makes such stupid mistakes - it happens, and by the end of the 5th draft you'll have made your share of dumb-ass mistakes too. Thank God for the editors who find them when our eyes have gone too bleary from hacking away at it.)
Max said something in his post that was similar to what my editor wrote in a note that was attached to my manuscript. It's a simple thing, but it means the world to a writer...
so now I've read it, close, two times. I call her up, tell her all over again how great the book is
Wow. Someone read it more than once, and still loved it.
To me, that statement it like winning the lottery. More than anything as a writer, I want the reader to love it, to 'get it'.
Who says that editors don't edit any more? Bah.
Here's my recent ode to the editorial process. Happy Spring!
Master Class
I just want to repeat Amyh's comment. "Who says editors don't edit anymore."
I only hope I make a connection with such an editor.
Bob Liter
And you nailed it too, Max. Best post you've ever done; not some quasi-wooden happy hour chat about some fringe aspect of publishing. Finally, I get a sense of who you really are as an editor.
Over at Flogging the Quill, Ray posted comments from someone criticizing his critique of a book he (Ray) admired. The comments from Ray's critic looked like the champion negative edit of all time. Thanking the gods that I've never had anyone trash every word I put down, glad there was Ray to balance it out, I then came here and read the paen to the editorial process. Thanks. I'm no genius writer, and I've been up close and personal with an editor without a clue and not even the courtesy to make a phone call and ask a question, but you and Ray and others available through the litblogs are a great counterbalance to the persistent negativity so often presented about the editorial relationship. Thanks again.
Reading is reading.
Editing is editing.
Same medium; different skill.
A beautiful post, Max.
Max,
Your post brought actual tears to my eyes. I hope I get an editor like you for my novel about the U.S. as an oppressive theocracy a few decades from now. Readers like you make it all worthwhile for us writers.
http://adamash.blogspot.com
I loved this post. But, I'm an eternal optimist!
I had a great experience with my editor on the first book I wrote. Her suggestions were right on the money and she gave me the room to take her advice and work with it. Now that book is done and waiting for page proofs and I'm waiting for revisions on the second ... because it doesn't stop, not if you want a career as a writer. Though my second book is better than the first, it still needs an editor's touch to make it shine.
It's always nice/great/fulfilling to work with someone to fix things who's intelligent and actually cares about the work in the same way that you do. I've had horrible experiences where not only did the other person not get it, but didn't have the work being the best that it could be at heart--they only wanted said work to reflect their own outlook of the world. That's a nightmare. I like to be challenged, and I like to have someone working with me that has great creative energy (what if is a POWERFUL question, Max--it's how most fiction comes into being). However, that person has to have my best interests at heart. I can just FEEL it if that isn't the case, and there's a lot of tension and it's an unhappy time. Things run SO much smoother when both parties feel comfortable and cared for. Especially in the case of somebody's baby.
This was an inspiring post, Max. Really inspiring. Thank you for sharing and best of luck to the author!
Hey Max,
It's good to know that editors still fall in love with the story and not the profit margin. I was told that today editors don't do the real editing, that you have to farm that out. Sounds like you are one of the precious few, and I am not kissing up. Not really, anyway.
BTW, I'm up to the fourth rejection so it's bound to happen. I hope I am fortunate enough to have an editor with your sense of humor and attention to the story.
Happy Easter.
Wow. I want to read this book. How are we going to know to run out and get it when it hits the shelves?
Thank you for a great snapshot of this part of the process. I found it inspiring.
Max--a simply terrific post. It follows somewhat closely to my experience in getting out my children's book with an editor in NYC. She's not called me, but her creative energy is very high, and she and I have had a terrific time bringing my ms to where it is today--at copyediting. They're out there, Max, and you're one of them. Damn good.
Dear Trace--
That's a good question (and I'm DELIGHTED to hear your enthusiasm). It's quite a way off--which is just the way I like it. I know that it's frustrating sometimes when your book (say) seems to take FOREVER to be published, but the fact is that the more time one has to "set up" the book--get in-house readings, bookseller readings, blurbs, bookclub activity--in short, the more time you have to get all the various "buzz" engines firing on all cylinders, the better your chances of a happy publication. And my personal preference is to have a full year between the time the manuscript is done and its publication, especially with new or unknown writers.
So watch this space (and others) in 2006...
"Someday my prince will come..."
Sounds like a dream come true when an editor and a writer click together...thanks for sharing Max.
I skim a lot of blogs, and so far yours is in the Top 3 of my list of favorites. I'm going to dive in and try my hand at it, so wish me luck.
It'll be in a totally different area than yours (mine is about penis enlargement reviews) I know, it sounds strange, but it's like anything, once you learn more about it, it's pretty cool. It's mostly about penis enlargement reviews related articles and subjects.
You have a pretty nice Blog!I've added a link to it on my website
I'm usually not a fan of Gehry's work, but this is an exception. Using wood as a wrapper imitating structure is not only novel, but ties the space down through the use of a consistent, inviting, and non-distracting material palette. Perhaps Gehry is more suited to small-scale projects Laptop battery.
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部落格
他的成人電影公司「保羅芮孟集團」旗成人網站下發行多a片種情色雜av誌，包括「Razavzav女優leavdvd」、「男性世界」以及「Mayfai情色電影r」。色情a片
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有人形容芮孟是英國的海夫納，地位等同美國的「花花公子」創辦人海夫納。
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A片參展成人網站攤位有的推廣情趣用品，有情色電影的公開展示人體藝術和人體雕塑，也有情色藝術家工會成員提供建議。
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小吃餐車加盟連鎖「一條龍的創業模式」複製成功開店經驗
更新日期:2009/08/25 17:19
(中央社訊息服務20090825 16:19:17)大環境不景氣，工作難找，有不少人就想乾脆自己創業當老闆。為強化國內創業能量，五路財神開店總部於8月20日-9月20日舉辦「2009夢幻小餐車創業成果展」歡迎蒞臨參觀。針對國內一窩蜂創業加盟潮，餐車達人陳滌五總監提醒創業者，加盟不失為一條創業捷徑，但若選擇加盟，品牌知名度、產品獨特性及是否擁有差異化優勢就顯得格外重要。
近年來以成本低的小吃餐車最受創業者青睞。沒經驗的失業族 大部份都選擇餐車擺攤，最多人都想在創業市場闖出一片天。在台中成立的五路財神開店總部，小吃餐車用品牌方式來營運，總經理陳滌五用自己的經驗來現身說法。以國人創業首選的小吃餐車來說，如何在同質性高的市場中殺出重圍？雖然是路邊攤小餐車，營運上的重要撇步是關鍵；在企業經營戰略中，唯有領先核心競爭，保持差異化優勢才是生存之道。
陳總分享成功關鍵，「五路財神餐車與其他路邊攤最大的差異化，在於餐車外觀亮眼與眾不同的加分效果，及秉持結合好的小吃產品用品牌方式來經營的理念」。總部成立初期因觀察到傳統路邊攤想要爭得一席之地，大多考量商品創新的迷思，卻忽略創業者經營能否持久性的問題。所以五路財神餐車將傳統小吃商品，用創新工法為策略，顛覆傳統路邊攤的概念，長期下來在台灣建立起最多元品牌的餐車王國。
很多創業者最憂心沒經驗，業界首創從餐車打造、生財器具、原物料配方、技術教學、促銷廣告、開幕指導，「一條龍的創業輔導」模式，使得五路財神餐車品牌特色更為彰顯。陳總說，不景氣下小吃餐車經營是加倍艱辛，建議創業者不但要瞭解小吃經營的核心價值，凸顯產品獨特性及差異化之外還要定期和你商圈的客人互動，「好餐車、好商品、好客人」，三個好，如此才有可能成為「不敗的小吃攤」。
|加盟創業|滷味加盟|加盟|餐車|安親班|廚具||開店|新民管樂|哈比|Eric|校友隊|高中畢旅|全國音樂比賽|特優|痞子英雄|薩克斯風|東大附中|星條旗|離開地球表面|牛仔很忙|陽光宅男|新民管樂畢業生|墓仔埔也敢去
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