I agree that editors comments in fiction need to be taken with a grain of salt. I remember one editor putting a note in the margins that said, I paraphrase: "our intern thinks the subplot should be cut out". Yeah, right, except the subplot was critical for the entire plot... also, our intern! Yikes! Or this one about a short story that takes place in Java: what country is that? I think I screamed, lol.
In a long former life as an editor, I noticed that the best writers want to improve their craft. They expected good reasons for the changes I proposed but would always hear me out. I have the utmost respect for editors who uphold high standards while respecting their writers. When I am edited with care and precision, I thank the editor. The age of cutbacks has not been kind to editors. I like to cheer the good ones on.
Thanks Rona. I'm typically lightly-edited, as I suspect you are. That's the goal. When the editor has to slash and burn, then go round and round with a stubborn, prickly writer, how excited are they for that next submission? : )
I promised myself that I wouldn't write until after the New Year. Steven Bechshloss’s message is so compelling this morning, that I felt the need to express my thoughts - as if I could just ignore them. I have also read the Substack called "Bookish" by Richard Donnelly and agree - an editor is a whole lot like a writer. I consider myself a writer, but also a philosopher.
Steven Becshloss's message is inspiring and if you get a chance, please read it. I hope you feel some level of hope for America's future.
I am with you all the way, except that my background/experiences with 20 years living in dictator-led countries leads me down a somewhat different path. I wrote “From Democracy to Democrazy” in 2019 with the final version published in 2023. It was intended as a warning to all Americans - many of whom thought I was a fanatic. I am a realist and not crazed or batty. I have been there, seen that, and know what a dictator looks like and behaves like. I also was in Moscow during Trump's many trips.
Since the 1990's, I realized that Trump was a Putin-puppet and would do or say anything to effectuate Putin's wishes. Trump is narcissistic, self-absorbed, and self-obsessed. Putin purchased Trump's devotion in 1990's when he was caught in a typical Russian KGB /FSB spy trap. What is a typical spy trap? The Russians flattered him, provided him with women and sex, and loaned him large sums of money. He fell for their entrapment 100%.
Steve’s Substack message gave readers the hope that Trump will be defeated in four years. Here is what Trump has said: "in four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote." (Reuters, by Tim Reid, July 28, 2024). BELIEVE HIM. Let me remind you that Putin was voted into the Russian presidency FOR A SIX YEAR TERM and assumed his office in 2000. Twenty-five years later, he is still in office and the DUMA has voted to allow him to stay there until 2034. In Russia, if you vote against Putin, you face a possible prison term or death. Donald Trump will do the same maneuver using his own verion of fear, retaliation, retribution, and vengeance.
Trump is now talking about the crimes of the January 6th Committee. Their only crime was to investigate Donald Trump. If he manages to send Liz Cheney to prison, this action will only align him further with Putin - who imprisoned Alexei Navalny and eventually killed him. Navalny’s crime is idential to Cheney - speak out against a leader who HAS committed crimes.
The Democratic Party ran a good, honest, and powerful campaign against Trump. They bet on Harris and abortion rights. Trump, with the widespread help from Russia's propaganda - told the Republicans and Americans that the economy was in trouble. Under Biden's leadership, our economy was not just the fastest growing in the entire world, but also the most stable. U.S. manufacturing was on the rise and unemployment was at an all-time low. This didn't matter to the Joe Blow buying $6 bread at the market, nor did they stop and think that Trump had filed six bankruptcies, was a convicted felon had committed massive fraud, and was legally labeled a "sexual predator." The Joe Blow on the streets of America does not believe that Trump had committed treason on January 6th, or that he has probably been working for the Russians and feeding them U.S. Top Secret military secrets.
Brad Raffensperger (R), the Secretary of State of Georgia, PROVED that the Russians had hacked into the voting locations in Fulton County and planted "bomb threats." Fulton County, Georgia is the place where Trump was to be prosecuted for his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. The court case is still pending because it is a state court and not a federal court. This verifies and confirms Trump's relationship with Putin and Russia. But no one listens. It may be too late.
I lived in Russia during Putin's rise to power. I witnessed the changes as one reporter after another was murdered or fled for their lives. I was there during communism, during the Yeltsin years of more freedom, and then watched as the black cloud of a dictatorship slowly covered the vast land of Russia. I now see that same toxic black cloud hovering off the shores of the U.S.
I agree that editors comments in fiction need to be taken with a grain of salt. I remember one editor putting a note in the margins that said, I paraphrase: "our intern thinks the subplot should be cut out". Yeah, right, except the subplot was critical for the entire plot... also, our intern! Yikes! Or this one about a short story that takes place in Java: what country is that? I think I screamed, lol.
Our intern?? What do they know : )
In a long former life as an editor, I noticed that the best writers want to improve their craft. They expected good reasons for the changes I proposed but would always hear me out. I have the utmost respect for editors who uphold high standards while respecting their writers. When I am edited with care and precision, I thank the editor. The age of cutbacks has not been kind to editors. I like to cheer the good ones on.
Thanks Rona. I'm typically lightly-edited, as I suspect you are. That's the goal. When the editor has to slash and burn, then go round and round with a stubborn, prickly writer, how excited are they for that next submission? : )
I promised myself that I wouldn't write until after the New Year. Steven Bechshloss’s message is so compelling this morning, that I felt the need to express my thoughts - as if I could just ignore them. I have also read the Substack called "Bookish" by Richard Donnelly and agree - an editor is a whole lot like a writer. I consider myself a writer, but also a philosopher.
Steven Becshloss's message is inspiring and if you get a chance, please read it. I hope you feel some level of hope for America's future.
I am with you all the way, except that my background/experiences with 20 years living in dictator-led countries leads me down a somewhat different path. I wrote “From Democracy to Democrazy” in 2019 with the final version published in 2023. It was intended as a warning to all Americans - many of whom thought I was a fanatic. I am a realist and not crazed or batty. I have been there, seen that, and know what a dictator looks like and behaves like. I also was in Moscow during Trump's many trips.
Since the 1990's, I realized that Trump was a Putin-puppet and would do or say anything to effectuate Putin's wishes. Trump is narcissistic, self-absorbed, and self-obsessed. Putin purchased Trump's devotion in 1990's when he was caught in a typical Russian KGB /FSB spy trap. What is a typical spy trap? The Russians flattered him, provided him with women and sex, and loaned him large sums of money. He fell for their entrapment 100%.
Steve’s Substack message gave readers the hope that Trump will be defeated in four years. Here is what Trump has said: "in four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote." (Reuters, by Tim Reid, July 28, 2024). BELIEVE HIM. Let me remind you that Putin was voted into the Russian presidency FOR A SIX YEAR TERM and assumed his office in 2000. Twenty-five years later, he is still in office and the DUMA has voted to allow him to stay there until 2034. In Russia, if you vote against Putin, you face a possible prison term or death. Donald Trump will do the same maneuver using his own verion of fear, retaliation, retribution, and vengeance.
Trump is now talking about the crimes of the January 6th Committee. Their only crime was to investigate Donald Trump. If he manages to send Liz Cheney to prison, this action will only align him further with Putin - who imprisoned Alexei Navalny and eventually killed him. Navalny’s crime is idential to Cheney - speak out against a leader who HAS committed crimes.
The Democratic Party ran a good, honest, and powerful campaign against Trump. They bet on Harris and abortion rights. Trump, with the widespread help from Russia's propaganda - told the Republicans and Americans that the economy was in trouble. Under Biden's leadership, our economy was not just the fastest growing in the entire world, but also the most stable. U.S. manufacturing was on the rise and unemployment was at an all-time low. This didn't matter to the Joe Blow buying $6 bread at the market, nor did they stop and think that Trump had filed six bankruptcies, was a convicted felon had committed massive fraud, and was legally labeled a "sexual predator." The Joe Blow on the streets of America does not believe that Trump had committed treason on January 6th, or that he has probably been working for the Russians and feeding them U.S. Top Secret military secrets.
Brad Raffensperger (R), the Secretary of State of Georgia, PROVED that the Russians had hacked into the voting locations in Fulton County and planted "bomb threats." Fulton County, Georgia is the place where Trump was to be prosecuted for his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. The court case is still pending because it is a state court and not a federal court. This verifies and confirms Trump's relationship with Putin and Russia. But no one listens. It may be too late.
I lived in Russia during Putin's rise to power. I witnessed the changes as one reporter after another was murdered or fled for their lives. I was there during communism, during the Yeltsin years of more freedom, and then watched as the black cloud of a dictatorship slowly covered the vast land of Russia. I now see that same toxic black cloud hovering off the shores of the U.S.
Elizabeth Graham, www.democrazy2020.org
From Democracy to Democrazy