Welcome back to yet another installment of Confessions from the Editing Cave. Today in the confessional -- young adult author, Suzanne van Rooyen!
1. Tell us a bit about your background working with editor(s). Did you hire a freelance editor? Work with an editor at a publishing house? Work with an agent in the capacity of an editor? All of the above or some other combination?
I am extremely lucky to
have an editorial agent – the lovely Jordy Albert. What this means is that,
when I submit a new work to my agent, she reads it and gives me detailed
editing feedback on content. This level of editing doesn't look at line for
line grammar, word echoes etc. but rather at the big picture. Will a reader
connect with my characters? Is there a gaping plot hole? Does the story
work? My agent also makes suggestions
based on her knowledge of what's selling and what might not work for the
editors she has in mind for the work. It's only after revisions – which might
go more than one round depending on how many changes are required – that we go
on submission. Since I've had an editorial agent, I've found the number of
first round edits from my publisher to be greatly reduced so Jordy clearly
knows her stuff.
As a traditionally
published author only working with the in-house editors of my publishers, I've
never hired a freelance editor. As of writing this, I have worked with four
different editors at four different publishing houses, some more awesome than
others.
2. What was your overall relationship with your editor? Good? Bad? Indifferent?
In general, very good.
Working with an editor can be tricky because there are so many things that are
subjective. Perhaps I've just been lucky, but I have always had editors who are
willing to discuss and compromise on proposed changes. Likewise, as an author
you have to be willing to compromise as well and know when to pick your
battles. Sometimes you really do need to kill your darlings in order to tighten
up the narrative. I have been extremely lucky to work with editors who
understood my vision for the story and who loved my story.
3. What was the best edit you’ve ever received from your editor?
Wow, tricky question. In
one work I had used some pretty awful google translated Spanish, which
thankfully my editor could correct (that was embarrassing! And an experience I
have definitely learned from.) Jordy has also provided some excellent edits,
helping me explore the emotional landscapes of my characters a lot more.
Honestly, the best edits are the ones that make me go, 'damn, why didn't I see
that?' and that with one simple change can make a previously dull sentence
sparkle, can make a scene pack a punch, or elevate a character to greater
heights.
4. What was the worst edit you’ve ever received from your editor?
Perhaps those that I felt
were trying too hard to rewrite my story. I haven't received many of these,
perhaps a couple of sentence suggestions at most, where I felt the suggested changes
didn't suit my voice or character, but that's really minor.
5. What was your first, initial, gut-reaction to your edits?
I'm always nervous when I
open up an editorial letter. It's hard to get past the thought that you're
about to read a list of what you did wrong, when really it's a list of how to
take the manuscript from good or great to incredible! I really thought I'd be
devastated the first time I opened up an editorial letter, angry, defensive,
insulted even, but I wasn't – I was excited! Since then, I've tried to view
edits as an opportunity rather than a rap over the knuckles. It's not about
fixing mistakes (well, sometimes) but rather about polishing the story until it
shines. These days, I love edits and look forward to process – just as soon as
I pluck up the courage to open the editorial letter ;)
6. Confession time! Share anything else you’d like to confess.
There are times when I
find I don't agree with a suggestion and add a comment saying as much, only to
come back to the same spot an hour, a day or even a week later and reluctantly
admit that the editor was right.
ALL ABOUT SUZANNE:
Suzanne is a
tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Sweden and is
busy making friends with the ghosts of her Viking ancestors. Although she has a
Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating
quirky characters. When she grows up, she wants to be an elf – until then, she
spends her time (when not writing) wall climbing, buying far too many books,
and entertaining her shiba inu, Lego. Her books include The Other Me and
I Heart Robot.
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