Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 18:21:41 -0500
From: Ted White <tedwhite at compusnet.com>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: A Short Editing Screed . . . [WSFA] Re: Anvil & Flint
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

Michael Walsh wrote:

> [...]
>
> Other than Flint's construction of literary snob straw men to defend =
> himself, I really have no quarrel with his handling of the Anvil =
> material; working with an author to make sure that the text published is =
> accurate is one of the most important things an editor can do.
>
> "This is a good yarn, I want it.  I'm sending it back for some minor =
> changes, if you agree with me.  As you may know, I don't believe in =
> changing a man's sttory, he made it, and it's his, and editing changes are =
> for him to make or it wouldn't remain his story."
>
> But none of his actions happened with the Schmitz stories.  Dead author.  =
> Ouija board broken.
>
> Correcting typoes fine. Correcting text which makes no sense can be =
> justified, see Algis Budry's essay "Non-literary influences in science =
> fiction" (in: Outposts: Literatures of Milieux. Borgo Press, 1996) which =
> looks at what can - and has - happened to a manuscipt from tyewriter to =
> typesetting. Trying to undo damage done by bad editing in ther past, bad =
> typesetting, and the like are all Worthy Things To Do.
>
> Rewriting a dead author is bad enough, but not letting the reader know =
> that they are reading corrupted text is just plain dishonest.  & putting =
> the original text on a web site don't count, no sirree.
>
> A Good Editor is a writer's friend.
>
> And if you're wondering about the quote above, it's from a letter by John =
> W. Campbell (Campbell Letters, Vol. 1, 1966, page 66) who garnered for =
> Astounding/Analog 6 Hugo wins for Best Magazine.  But what would JWC know =
> about about editing . . .

As the occasional victim of bad editing (the worst was a copyeditor at Signet,
who changed a character saying "From space, my planet looks browner than yours,"
to "...my universe looks browner than yours" -- and we all know now that the
universe is, what?  Beige?), I can only offer heartfelt agreement with what
you've said.

Like Campbell, I've worked both sides of the fence, and as an editor I always
appreciated good writers:  they require the least editing.  (I was the
copyeditor on Ursula LeGuin's LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS.  I changed maybe three
words in the course of that novel -- and queried them all.)  Of all the major SF
writers I've edited/copyedited, I liked Brian Aldiss least.

--Ted White