Our goal in editing each workshop is to make readable, likable stories. I'm taking English 392, an editing class, and now I can't help but slice up a page with lots of notes and grammar fixes. It's hard to find whats likable and what should be changed when I scratch all grammatical error and despair over bad diction.
It is at the point where my criticism out-weighs my encouragements and that is unhealthy with this exercise. After watching our Fall for the Book author stand up and read her story, I saw the wealth she offered, but I also saw a boring premise (at least for me). Picking up some of these short stories and reading the first paragraph gives some pretty bad impressions as well--are people giving these stories the attention they deserve? I don't know, but I often reflect on my approach to writing my submission.
Introspectively, I know I could have given my story more time, maybe even a happier ending after reading the others, but I believed a rough draft would be healthy to submits to spare my ego. I was happy with that choice until I realized how mean I am when I edit and how indifferent I can become when the author isn't sitting next to me. Now I fear for my own work, wondering how badly I overestimated my transitions and dialogue.
Reading these stories hasn't been as fun as I thought and I'm upset about that. Many of the stories are so haphazardly edited and designed that it feels like the author doesn't think anyone is going to be reading his or her work--they just want to get the assignment over with and get their edits back. One story had three pages of preparation and doesn't describe the anticipated event! Where does that leave me then? Should I put more work into their story then they did? Yes, since my grade is at stake, but there is no more enjoyment when I approach these assignments in that way.
I am struggling to feel connection with our class during these assignments because I haven't found a story I thoroughly like. I've only done three of them though, so maybe I'm reacting too hastily. But I want a rough story that I can accept the grammar errors (mine has many and I don't mean to sound pretentious, yet still enjoy the piece and understand the characters. Four to ten pages isn't a lot of space to fit this in, but format is crucial to keeping a reader interested. Maybe that's the big lesson with our first drafts.
Should we be harsh while editing to make sure more attention is given to format and less about crafty sentences and authorial voice? I think so; otherwise, we'll just have a bunch of authors thinking out-loud to an exiting audience.
By David J. Darner
ReplyDeleteI understand where you're coming from. When my friends ask me to edit I make sure to tell them not to feel bad if their work is covered in red.
ReplyDeleteI've gotten used to marking papers up as I read them. Of course, these differ from many of the papers that I have edited recently in that they are creative. Thus, their spelling, punctuative, and grammatical mistakes are for the author to correct and as editors we're to judge the actual writing.
One of my friends in the industry says that it's imperative that you separate 'writer you' from 'editor you'.
Four to ten pages is a normal and solid short story, and it's an attainable goal for those who haven't written short stories before. In a way, writing short stories is necessary for a new author. We could plan something amazing for a novel, but learning how to write for yourself will not happen until you set a small and attainable goal.
A good short story does manage to connect you to the plot and characters in a short amount of time. A solid author could write about a man on a the subway and still the audience empathize with his character. Maybe the class' general weak creations come from a combination of inexperience & time constraints. Here's to hoping we grow to become better!
Nitesh Arora