Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
I spent a whole career as an editor of texts, from rewriting to
proofreading. Writing my book and editing/rewriting it used two
distinct sets of mental tools, and it wasn't until I felt my editing
brain kick in that I really started to make it sing instead of
ramble.
  

    
44. Cut 30,000 words

Tony Hillerman's first editor or agent told him to "cut out all the
Indian stuff if  you want to write mysteries." 
  

    
jreacher, my goodness... I mean, this is why you have to have a
pretty clear sense of what you're trying to do, so that the good
notes you get are useful and the bad ones don't lead you astray. 

I've learned the hard way that the desire to get something produced
or published can be a handicap in this department. A producer,
studio exec, or editor gives you a bad note, and somewhere inside
you it's obvious that it's a bad note, but -- this is the person who
can make it happen! So you execute that note and no one's happy with
the result, including you. 

Presumably Tony Hillerman walked right out of there. There were
times when I should have followed his example.
  

    
I share that hope, Charlie. Robert Gottlieb, early editor of John
Kennedy Toole's "Confederacy of Fools,"  fooled around so long with
the project (lending very little encouragement), that Toole finally
just gave up and quit. When COD was finally published, years after
Toole's suicide, it won a Pulitzer. 
  

    
Dunces, not Fools!
  

    
Yes

"When a true genius appears... the dunces are all in confederacy
against him". 

Jonathan Swift
  

    
Charlie Haas agreed to a one-week discussion of _The Current
Fantasy_, and that week ended yesterday. Thanks to Charlie, and to
everyone who contributed questions and comments over the last week. 

While we've reached the formal end of our guest's commitment, this
topic will remain open, and it's perfectly find for the discussion
to continue.
  

    
Thanks Charlie, it was good to see you here
  

    
Thanks 1,000,000 to David and Jon for having me on here, and to
everyone for great questions and comments. I'll keep checking in
just in case people have more thoughts. Anyway, a big pleasure. Most
grateful. 
  

    
Please do stay wtih us, Charlie! And come visit the <movies.> and <media.>
conference,and other discussion areas!
  

    
It was wholly a pleasure!
  

    
Thanks Charlie and best wishes.