by Jason Snell
How it feels to be edited
Everyone needs an editor. But there is no doubt that being edited can be excruciating. Especially if your editor is good at what they do.
Here’s a short bit from Marcin Wichary about the edits on his forthcoming book, Shift Happens:
How personal it all feels is the biggest surprise. Sometimes, I read my editor’s word choices and I nod vigorously. The other times I want to shout “Do you even get this book?” while I slam F3 so hard I’m worried about my expensive switch underneath.
“Let’s cut this section,” he says in a comment, and I remove it with pleasure. Next chapter. “Let’s cut this section,” he says, and in my head the first response that arrives is “How about I cut you.”
It’s a great post about a fascinating subject, and the book sounds great, too! And of course, I found this story thanks to my friend Glenn Fleishman, who is Marcin Wichary’s editor.
It’s okay, Marcin. We’ve all wanted to cut Glenn at one time or another.