How am I doing as an editor? (A poll for my clients)

[Weird Harold]

If I have edited a story for you, please answer the poll so others will know whether I satisfy my clients' editing needs.

(please also reveal how you rated in a reply so that people know which votes to pay attention to.)

 

[KillerMuffin]

You're too darned nitpicky and you massacred my regional colloquialisms. Actually, the regional accent only comes through vocally, and to try to put it to paper just reeks. *sigh* You were just so right. You know how much I hate that? You're a great editor, WH, the tops.

 

[Whispersecret]

Harold, sweetie. Long time, no talk. How's Vegas without my shining presence? LOL

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You were one of the first people to edit my erotic stories. While I was incensed at first at your audacity, telling me my sentences were too long, I soon calmed down to see the wisdom in your words.

I think your true worth as an editor lies in your ability to convey your comments in a neutral, non-aggressive tone, which helps your "clients" be more accepting of the criticism.

 

[The_old_man]

Altho you convinced me that my first effort was not ready for prime time, I submited it to another site with only the minimum rewrite.

They have, as yet, not posted it. No argueiing with a master.

I will now spend the time to do a rewrite of one of my shorter stories and lit you review it.

 

[Weird Harold]

One not at all vote...

so I don't have to bypass the voting anymore to see the results.


That and I need to bump it up now that Laurel moved it to the Author's Hangout so people will see it.

(My editing doesn't help my stories at all, so that a valid vote, too.)

 

[cymbidia]

i gave you a "4", of course.

Harold, your patience and kindliness, combined with professional-caliber editing, serve to infuse relaxed trust into the give-and-take between those like me, those who are on the recieving end of your electronic red pen, and you, the one offering all those recommendations for improvement.

Your suggestions are always sound, your manner is friendly, and you stay with a project from the time it's given to you until after it's submitted and posted. Such are wonderful attributes in any person but more crucial to one like you, an editor.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

Ouch.

If I'm not careful, you may make an adequate writer out of me.

The story I submitted for editing, I had read and reread over and over. Your grammar comments were useful, but the really beneficial comments came in the way of overall readability.

Things like where some descriptions could be replaced as dialogue, what really served no purpose in furthering the story, conveying messages between characters vs. omnipotently bestowing knowledge. All obvious once pointed out.

Excellent work. I had no idea I had so much work ahead of me. But I know the story is already better for it, and I've just finished the first third of my rework.

Thanks.

 

[Cockatoo]

The breadth of the brush

Hey there Harold, glad to respond. You did my "Cold Hands" ghost story about two or three months ago.

The feedback you gave me was very precise and helpful. You work very close to the bone, and you're meticulous in your detail. I found your concern with readability very helpful indeed. But, all this help came in spite of what I was looking for with that one.

Don't get me wrong- you did exactly what an editor should do: focus on the mechanics and leave the creative vision to the writer. Anything more than that runs the danger of Phil Specter-izing the story into something that's part YOU and thus part not-the-author.

(God, I'm getting old. How many of you out there even know who Phil Specter is, anyway?)

Anyhow, I came to you in the first place because I approved of the sensibilities revealed in your own work. I'm an odd case here at Lit, in that I'm pretty comfortable with my written voice. I misspell things when I mean to (for the most part). My sentence fragments and occasionally awkward phrasings tend to reflect my stream of consciousness, or that of the character I'm writing. I tend to favor plain language over grandiose, short over long, and franctic conjunctions when things become long and involved and desperate like now when you've lost control thematically and gramatically and physically all at the same time...

You get the idea. I wanted to check my vision. I was still painting with a broad brush. Did this story make sense the way it was? Was I taking it in the right direction? Was I taking it in the right direction the right WAY? Did it belong on this site in the first place? I still felt like the "i"s would be dotted and the "t"s would be crossed when I got to that point in the process. Instead, you took me back to school, which I probably needed. Thank you for the lesson.

Credit where credit is due- you gave me a lot of polish to apply. Cymbida gave me an insight, when we were chatting about it in "big picture" terms, which I think conceptually saved the story. In a way, I wish we had some method of workshopping our drafts here. I've got another one ready, but I think it might need some extra vision.

Don't stop. Do more. You're a very valuable guy to have around.

 

[Samuari]

WH, I gave you my chapter in the chain story to look over, because I was nervous that it seemed to be coming together to eaisly. When you looked it over and pronounced that it was ready to publish. you varified the judgement of Mustang Sally who did most of the editing on the story. I really like the way you dealt with me in a professional non-invasive way. Since Sally and I are 'clicking' so well, I don't know that I will be sending you much in the future, but this experance has been very good.