“My editor made me do it.”

It is a universally acknowledged truth that an editor is an author’s worst nightmare. . . . At least, so one hears when authors discuss the changes imposed upon them by their publishers. When writers come away with that impression, editors have not done their job properly. The author should feel empowered and in control. He/she should understand that the editorial staff is on his/her side. They want to maximize his/her work’s potential, not hijack it.

Every writer deserves a good editor, just like a fruit tree deserves expert pruning right before spring to maximize its yield. The best editors aren’t bullies but guides, mentors, coaches, and cheerleaders. They are always medics and triage nurses, binding the wounds they inflict when the writer opens the landmine of their edits and it explodes red ink. (Think Mrs. Weasley’s howlers of Harry Potter fame and you’ve got the right idea. That’s pretty much how it feels the first time you receive notes.)

The editing process is traumatic, especially for freshman writers. Good editors prepare them for it. They never leave their victims hemorrhaging on the battlefield. They are there, right beside them, ready to patch them up again, set them on their feet, and bustle them back into the fray, confident in their ultimate victory.

Sometimes, editors are oracles or treasure hunters, opening the author’s eyes to the possibilities he/she has created but has failed to see or develop. However, always, the ultimate decision is the author’s. A good editor not only has the vision, but the ability to illuminate those ideas for the author. The best editors inspire, not bully.

When functioning properly, when nurtured and developed, the writer/editor relationship becomes the most powerful tool in the author’s arsenal. Here are a few of the authors I am privileged to call “friend.”

~Penny Freeman