This blog is meant to be a record of my experiences as I see them, so I set to document the process of my first ever real-life editing situation, and how I was feeling and why. What I did not mean to do was give the impression that the editors were evil, horrid little guttersnipes. They aren't. I guess that point was missed every time I wrote it.
So again for the record:
The editors are not evil, and I'm so incredibly sorry for giving the impression that they were.
The frustrations I were experiencing were derived largely from a misunderstanding. I had originally thought that the proof sent to us was a final. Had it been a final (as in, this is what we're going to print, have fun, bye-bye), then I would gladly stand by my decisions and weather whatever storm came my way. As it turns out, I had misunderstood and the proof was simply a "hey guys, here's what the book will look like' (it looks awesome, by the by). The editing process was still underway.
Also a factor was that I was completely unused to the style of editing I had been presented with. This is not the editor's fault, just so we're clear. I have since learned that this is the most usual way editors deliver their suggestions.
Previously, any suggestions that anyone had made were done via notes and comments, not in text. I was wholly unused to suggestions being written in text, and had mistaken such a suggestion for 'it will be this way' (since I am so opposed to presenting work that is not my own as my own, I found this a little affronting. My fault again, as I was at liberty to rewrite it in my own words, or explain why I thought it might be better if we did it another way, or something). Suggestions I had received prior to that were always in comments or brackets in the text or in notes at the end of the text and were less added dialogue/sentences/paragraphs than notes like 'this needs more description, what were the horses doing here while this was going on?' or 'more dialogue is needed to explain this' or 'wtf? This makes no sense whatsoever, are you trying to say this ......' etc.
This whole experience has been one very steep learning curve, and I had found it challenging and frustrating, and that was as much my fault as anyone else's.
So, to my editors (who are luckily very understanding) I am so very sorry. I did not mean to make you out as one-eyed daemons from the seventh level of hell. You most definitely aren't.
Right, I have some stuff that needs doing today, so happy Monday everyone (an oxymoron, I know). Take care.
No comments:
Post a Comment