Editorial Continuity

[posingsomdomite]

I was wondering everyones' opinions on editors over a multi- chapter stories. Is it better to to stick with one editor or to use a few? Does switching risk the chance of too many chefs or does staying with just one risk not enough opinions or feedback?

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

I was wondering everyones' opinions on editors over a multi- chapter stories. Is it better to to stick with one editor or to use a few? Does switching risk the chance of too many chefs or does staying with just one risk not enough opinions or feedback?

The only possible advantage of using multiple editors is avoiding overloading the one who started the story. I would always prefer to edit all the chapters of a story and, if at all possible, to receive the complete story in one lump. The reason for that is that if I get Ch.9 of a story to edit, and I haven't seen Chh.1-8 within the last week or so, then I have to reread them before editing 9. If an author is sending a chapter every week or two then that is a lot of rereading time.

To be fair to an editor who is an unpaid volunteer, at the very least warn her/him of the length you intend to write. IMHO if you don't know how long it is going to be, then it isn't ready for editing yet. A first reader to tell you if it looks interesting is fine, but if you go back and change anything in the early chapters then the whole thing will need re-editing.

 

[sr71plt]

It's best to finish whatever you are going to write and have one editor edit it all after it's complete. Fiction should have a arc to it that starts at the beginning. There also are technical questions that can only be best decided based on having the complete text. To do a good edit, the editor needs to have it all--and at one time. I have never accepted a fiction project given to me piecemeal to edit--this can work for nonfiction, though.