Showing posts with label Why do authors have editors?. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Why do authors have editors?. Show all posts

Friday, 2 May 2014

Why do only authors have editors?

photo Chris Ayres

Okay, I might alienate some folk with this post.  But here it is.

Painters, sculptors and artists don't have editors.
Composers don’t have editors.
So why do authors?  

Are we incapable of critically assessing our own work? What does that say about our faith in our abilities and creative spirit? 

I'm not attacking the profession of editors, by the way. Or saying editing isn't important - writers are constantly editing.  It's part of the writing process. There are different kinds of editing, and different reasons for it. It involves re-creation and selection. It can be subjective and political.  So I'm curious. It seems to be accepted as fact that when it comes to writing, other people are more qualified to edit our work than ourselves.  Why?  Where did this idea originate? How many visual artists would happily pay someone to add a splash of paint here, a brushstroke there, to enhance the canvas?  I don't know any concert composers who would invite opinions on how to structure a dramatic passage or score their finale. 

Just putting it out there......

photo Jane Ayres
To read what I was saying about editing back in 2012 go to: http://janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/patchwork-quilts-and-writing-novels.html