Surviving the Editing Process
By Isabel Reddy
In this issue of TR Journal, novelist Isabel Reddy catches us up on her journey to publication after attending the Duke Writers Workshop in its first year at Wildacres (2010) and once again after we changed our name to Table Rock Writers Workshop. Also don’t miss the exciting news here that follows Isabel’s story.
It took me ten years to write and publish my novel, That You Remember. In that time, I had friends, family, and authors who graciously agreed to read my manuscript and give me their feedback. I also paid editors for critiques and line edits and then worked with my publisher’s editor.
Whether you work with an editor you’ve selected (and paid) or one assigned to you by your publisher, be prepared for the feeling that someone is coming at you with tweezers. A sort of death by tweezing.
In “If You Want to Write,” Brenda Ueland says, that writing is “…an impulse to share with other people, a feeling or truth that I myself had. Not to preach to them, but to give it to them if they cared to hear it. If they did not—fine.”
Here are three things to remember about the editing process.
First: Consider the source. On two occasions my novel was edited by romance enthusiasts. I didn’t know this about the readers, nor would I have anticipated the problems that would arise. It’s not a problem, of course, if you’re writing a romance novel, but I wasn’t. Invariably they felt left hanging, unclear, and desirous for more, in many scenes. It quickly became clear that they didn’t get my novel. They didn’t get the true thrust, the overall point. They wanted to turn it into a romance novel. My novel included romance, yes, but it wasn’t a romance novel. It’s a coming-of-age story, mostly focusing on a young woman who must come to terms with her mother’s abandonment. She learns to forgive her mother and open up to the women who are in her life, seeing them as fallible, like all of us. Like herself.
Second: Find your fire, and don’t let go. The editor, Joe Fassler said “As an editor, I see a lot of work that’s very polished, but just doesn’t have that spark of life.” One of my readers told me that she started my novel, That You Remember, on a transatlantic flight, on her phone. She said she couldn’t put it down. She read the whole novel on that flight, on her phone. That was a high compliment, 30 thousand feet, as a matter of fact.
Nora Ephron, in her funny book called I Feel Bad About my Neck referred to a “rapture book.” When I first read David Copperfield, I felt I had a secret, glowing rock in my pocket and couldn’t wait to get home to take it out and once again be immersed in its transcendent glory. I’ve since read Copperfield many times. That, to me, is a rapture book. So, if your fire, your passion, your beating heart is in your story, then you’ll be equipped for what may come at you from editors. Because it can still feel like death by tweezers.
For surgery, experts suggest a patient should get two, maybe three opinions. The same is true for writing. Most often the feedback I got had the ring of truth. Why is he such a curmudgeon? Don’t tell us she quit her job—show us. Transitions need to be smoother. But taking the wrong advice can set you back a couple of years—it happened to me. So, be a soft koala bear, receptive, open-minded. But also be and a grizzly bear. Protect your treasures.
Third: Know your stuff! If they say, “Oh, you switched POV here.” Well, maybe you did and maybe you didn’t. Study the craft. At Goddard, where I got my MFA in Creative Writing, I focused on POV for an entire semester. Third person, can in fact, jump heads from one paragraph to the next. I also know that if your character keeps a Swiss Army knife in her purse, it doesn’t always have to be Chekhov’s gun and figure again somewhere in your novel. It can just mean a character used to go camping and has a habit of keeping a Swiss Army knife in their purse. Nothing more.
I began my novel toggling between two time periods. An author/editor that I paid and admired said that I should keep the action only in one time period. For a couple of years, I followed this advice, and set the novel in the 1970s. I’m not sure what flipped this. I just know that I closeted myself in a hotel a short drive from my home. I was there, alone with my novel. I set the whole thing on the floor, scene by scene. Somehow in that solitary space, I brought back the early version that included past and present. Without interruptions, I wrote the version that I’d always wanted. It seemed to weave itself together naturally.
Was I wrong to follow that editor’s advice? Not really. He was correct that the scenes in the present needed pruning and shaping. But the present time is an important piece of the novel and adds suspense. You know there’s a devastating flood, then you get to know all these characters and you must wait to see who survives.
If the editing feedback you’re getting leaves you spinning, find a quiet place. Take your time. As the American novelist Hannah Tinti explained about her own process, a quiet place “…helped to quiet my mind. That kind of stillness is necessary, if you’re going to try and peel back some of the layers of what it means to be alive…Things go better when I work instinctively and trust my subconscious.”
There are no words to describe the joy I felt when I left that hotel. When everything comes together. When the writing writes itself.
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After Hurricane Helene — Donate to Wildacres Retreat:
$10,000 challenge grant on behalf of EastOver Press in honor of the Table Rock community
Many of you have asked how you can help Wildacres following the devastation from Helene. Now the Table Rock Writers Workshop is inviting members of our workshop community and others who appreciate the beauty and value of Wildacres Retreat to consider donating toward Wildacres repairs after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
The facility sustained damage to the Auditorium, Dining Hall, Jake’s Shed, and Guest House. The debris removal needed is extensive. The most significant and costly damage has been to the roads, including landslides that have made areas impassable. There is also damage to the water system that is still being assessed. Wildacres is working toward opening next spring, and Table Rock is planning to be in attendance on the mountain at the end of summer… but help is needed.
We are delighted to announce that on behalf of our partner EastOver Press and in honor of Table Rock Writers Workshop, funds have been made available to match any donation for repairs to Wildacres, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 through January 31st 2025. This allows you to donate twice and spread your donation over two tax years if you like.
If we can raise $10,000, Wildacres will receive another $10,000! Gifts of all sizes are welcome. To be considered for the match, simply note on your tax deductible gift to Wildacres Retreat that you are contributing to the EastOver Press/Table Rock challenge.