Editors Are Your Words' Best Friend

The first time I received critical editorial feedback on my writing was a sucker punch to my ego.?

Someone was lying to me.?

It couldn’t possibly be the string of English teachers from my previous six years of schooling who always glowed about my writing.

It had to be the short, mature white woman with steely blue eyes (and spine to match) staring back into my equally defiant young brown ones.

The year was 1992, and I was livid over the first C- I ever received in life on an English paper.?

I was an 18-year-old upstart Black girl from The Bronx. I earned every grade that placed me on an elite New England College campus alongside 49 other Black students.?

This couldn’t be happening to me.?

Was it retribution for the way I bullishly insisted on being let into her class a few months prior? Did she think I hadn’t given her, the head of the English department, enough difference, and the C- was penance?

I concluded she didn’t know what she was talking about. I was a great writer and I’d prove it to her on my next paper. I went on my delusional way and wrote my second paper.

To my absolute horror, I got a “D.”

It must have stood for distraught because that’s how I felt.

I went whining to my favorite professor, Rob Farnsworth. I needed insights into his boss. He suggested the obvious solution that my emotions blinded me to: go talk to her.

For the honor of my grades, I swallowed my pride and humbly sat in the chair perpendicular to her desk.

She ripped my writing to shreds as if she had Wolverine’s adamantium claws for a pen!?

But then, with a surgeon’s skill, she stitched me back up. She told me what to do if I wanted to improve.?

I left my ego in her office chair. The next time I sat down at my Macintosh PowerBook 145b, I cranked out my first draft and looked back at it.?

Suddenly, I saw what she saw.?

I reworked the draft with newfound clarity and implemented all her suggestions. I timidly turned it in and waited on pins and needles for a week before I learned I received a B.

I almost shed a tear a few weeks later when I saw an A on my fourth and final paper. Those last two rabbits that I pulled out of my hat allowed me to squeak by with an overall B- in the class (which was us reading Beowulf in Old English, by the way).

We started off like two she-goats locking horns in a battle of will. My ego was bruised in the tussle, but I became a better writer because of it.?

Today, I credit Anne Booth Thompson for teaching me how to write. Her lessons are branded into my thought process. I’ve only grown and evolved in the 33 years since our first encounter.

I still love all of my English and writing teachers and influences before and after her; they’ve all contributed something special to my life and my writing style.?

But Anne taught me what good writing is. She wasn't the head of a magazine or a publishing house. She was, however, a department head at a prestigious college… no small feat for women in 1992. Better still, she was a consulate educator and knew how to elicit the best work from her students.?

In a perfect literary world, you should become a better writer when you work with an editor.

Not all editorial experiences have to be as emotionally brutal as mine was… but then again, I did need a slice of humble pie at that time in my life!?

When you are working with an editor, you must be open to hearing hard truths about your writing without taking it personally. You must also be willing to make changes that benefit your book’s intended reader.

I like to say that editors are your words' best friends; if you and your editor actually become friends in the process, that’s a bonus.?

By polishing your words, they make you look great to your reader. So don’t run from the feedback; in the end, it’s for your benefit.

So in today's video, I give you an introductory masterclass into the world of manuscript editing. If you are even thinking about writing a book, this video is a must-watch.

In it, I break down:

1 - What Editing Is And Why You Need It

2 - The 3 Different Types Of Editing

3 - Why Editing Mistakes Can Be Costly

4 - Tips For Finding The Best Editor For You And Your Project

Have you ever received feedback that was hard to hear? How did you deal with it? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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ABOUT DENISE RENEE

Hi, I'm Denise Renee! (That's a double first name, by the way! ??)

A professional writer and editor since 1999, I can help you write a book that shares your experiences or expertise and builds your personal or business brand.

I typically work with professionals, entrepreneurs, content creators, spiritual leaders, and religious laypeople. I occasionally work with fiction writers.

Get your book writing process started now by downloading my free guide, 4 STEPS TO START WRITING YOUR BOOK at https://writingwithdeniserenee.com/4steps.

My first book is coming soon!

Learn more about the book and go behind the scenes of my self-publishing journey at https://writingwithdeniserenee.com/bookprelaunch.