The page is red. It is so insanely red that you can no longer tell where your work ends and the edit begins.
When you first start writing (professionally and creatively), you are scared of people criticising your work. It’s an instinct; your work, even for professional reports, is a reflection of your ability.
You want to do a good job. It’s a fair expectation. When you find out you’re not able to do that, it’s easy to get sucked into the spiral of despair.
“What if I suck at this?”
I have edited for student publications, proofread dissertations for postgraduate qualifications, and critiqued a range of professional reports (ranging from 1,000 words to nearly 25,000 words).
On the other side of things as a writer, I have watched people rewrite a piece in front of me, previous bosses have told me that I “can’t write”, and I’ve also been told by a slightly misguided teacher to give up.
I know the pitfalls of being poorly edited, and I know the benefit that a great editor can provide.
What editing is supposed to do
Editing is not rewriting — most of the time.
The purpose of editing is to ensure clarity, correctness, and readability of a piece of text. The edit is about looking at your draft and considering what mistakes need to be corrected. Some errors will be grammar and punctuation and that sort of thing.
Some mistakes will be a lot larger, like structure and style.
Good editors will be honest and direct. Their comments are more of a ‘how-to’ guide. Essentially their feedback is guiding you to the right tone and style.
Good editors do not tear down your confidence unnecessarily.
Editing is about making the best final product possible. It should not be a strange exertion of power by your superior to show you how inferior you are. Just to clarify.
Good editors edit with kindness and respect. They take into consideration your experience and portfolio. They give feedback based on what level you are currently at and don’t try to make you attain perfection when it’s your first try at writing a report.
Good editing provides you with a constructive framework that you can take to any future writing endeavour and apply it.
What editing is not
We’ve all had terrible criticism and had to deal with it. I’ve already hinted at some ways an editor, or manager, can fail to help your writing development.
So you’ve received feedback, and you’re staring at the edit in front of you. It’s overwhelming. It’s harsh.
But how do you respond?
This is where you have to be able to assess your own ability accurately.
It’s easy to get defensive; if you have any form of ego, then you’re going to have to get a grip. It’s normal to think you’re amazing at something and then find out you were extremely over-confident. You need to look at your work, your experience and your background then make an objective assessment. If you were someone else what would you think of your ability?
Have you never written a personal essay before and then sent it to New York Times? Then your feedback, and probable rejection, are probably going to feel horrible.
If you walk into any profession and are immediately arrogant about your ability then you’re going to have a nasty shock when someone tells you exactly what you are.
Editors should also be cautious about providing heavy criticism when they have never edited any work before.
To expect that your opinion is gospel when you’ve read less than two stories is arrogant as well. To expect your criticism is useful when you’ve never trained in editing, or writing, is also arrogant.
However, writers, if it’s not the first piece of editorial feedback you’ve received then consider the benefits of addressing the edit.
I’ve received some bizarre criticism in my time. I’ve had to learn to weigh the criticism in context to my goals.
For example, I once submitted an experimental short story to a writing journal. This journal was brand new (and has since disappeared from the internet), and it wanted to publish stories by women.
I sent my short story in to get feedback, and at that point in my career, I was just developing the ability to assess the value of the criticism. My creative writing was becoming more experimental, and I was gaining confidence in this type of work. I had graduated from my undergraduate degree in writing, and I had written for a variety of publications for free as well as through internships.
The journal had accepted my short story by the first editor, but now it had to be edited by the second editor (an unusual process). This second editor was confused. At the time, I was unsure but now looking back at her feedback it was unprofessional. The amount of criticism that had been sent my way felt overwhelming, and while some of it was just, I was suddenly expected to rewrite the story completely on my own after an already extensive edit.
The feedback was too much and looking back on it, it was ridiculous.
As an editor and proofreader, I wouldn’t expect someone to completely rewrite (and restructure) a piece of work for me. Especially when I knew the person had an established background in that area.
The editor expected me to rewrite the piece completely (which I was not being paid for and I was not being paid for any of this work). She then sent a list of 7 questions then tried to explain to me how writing should be done.
Naturally, I was offended because I had just finished my degree in writing, and I had studied very hard to develop my craft. The smaller pieces of feedback were helpful and constructive, but to ask an unpaid writer to completely rewrite a piece, after an already long edit, because you just don’t get it is unfair.
There is feedback, and then there are demands.
How to deal
Learning to take feedback and editorial criticism is a skill.
It’s not a simple yes/no situation. You have to listen, process what has been said then question it. Question the feedback in relation to your role, your experience, your skillset and your goals.
Don’t let your ego get in the way of improving your work but don’t let someone walk all over you.
Be proud of your work but accept that it may still be flawed.
If you don’t agree with the feedback or elements of the feedback, question it. Ask the editor why they have said this. Ask them to explain their criticism.
If they think it’s too bland, ask them to point out a section that shows their criticism.
If it’s a freelance gig and they haven’t paid you yet, it’s probably time to cut your losses.
Sometimes in the freelance world, I’ve found it easier to just say “thanks for your feedback but I no longer want to publish with you” than to fight an edit.
You do not need to work with someone who does not appreciate your work. You do not need to be published by someone who hates your work.
Find other ways to get your work out there. If you’re in an office environment, see if there’s any training you can do externally that can give you more confidence in your work.
Editing is supposed to be about perfecting your work but you need to know when to take a stand.
