Susan Bell’s 2007 book, The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself, aims to shed a different type of light on the editorial process, not only on the part of the editor but on the writer as well. In fact, while this book delves into how “already established” writers incorporate editing/revision into their writing process, would-be editors can glean how the editorial process can manifest so much within one’s text, oftentimes bringing it to life or causing its demise.
Even though certain parts of Bell’s book are underdeveloped, she does do a superb job of making editing, well, artful. Using myriad examples from writers like Nabokov and of course the infamous Perkins-Fitzgerald partnership in addition to long snippets/quotes from writers speaking about how editing is an essential component to their own writing, Bell overthrows traditional or amateurish views of editorial work by pointing out that “Self-editors [writers]…should break their own editing rules or patterns to create something fresh.” In other words, editing, for Bell, is not the needed finishing touch on a writer’s novel, but “a way to discover a new voice…as yet unmapped route to a particular emotion or thought” (a quote that you find on the homepage of my blog).
In other words, editing serves the purpose of enhancing the complexities of a work, refurbishing nuances that might need more color added, and ultimately to fish out the potential artistic elements that make novels captivating, timeless, and unforgettable. She uses the famous running example of Max Perkins, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Great Gatsby in order to prove the artful-editor mantra further. And in many ways I did like that she used a recurring example because it allowed the reader to really get a grasp on how crucial the editorial process can be for even famous works. Then again, the Max Perkins-F. Scott Fitzgerald collaboration has almost become an overused way for editors to assert their importance like, this is what an editor should be.
However, just to qualify my statement again: I would say that an editor like Perkins, while like a Messianic figure for editors, goes to show the possibilities, the potentialities that editing can bring, and for Bell, it is these imaginative possibilities that should make any writer conduct a shift-in-perspective when it comes to editing. For example, in part IV, Bell provides various accounts from editors outside of writing, another interesting dimension to Bell’s work. Getting a glimpse into the techniques of sound editors and photographers, the reader can’t help but see that editing is “an extraordinarily creative science,” as Bell says later on:
“Editing is what lets them [writers, editors, or artists of any kind] all roam freely inside the creation of their art, knowing that they will at some point come up against an aesthetic fence, a technical wall, an emotional door. Editing forces them to decide whether to accept the obstacle or go beyond it. Editing forces them to look at a problem in their work, and solve it. Editing creates a crucial system of questioning for these artists; and they know their work will not be done until they’ve answered the toughest questions.”
So to speak, the beauty of the editorial process emerges with the “toughest questions,” the seemingly insignificant decisions that weigh out whether a work should emphasize a particular motif/theme, alter the dialogue of a particular character, etc. While The Artful Edit reinforces the vitality of a self-editor, would-be editors will find parts II and III to be extremely useful for how the editorial process functions typically with a novel or a written work. If you haven’t already, tape the following list on your wall or desk or workspace, and if anything, read parts II and III:
MACRO-VIEW [“Editing” in the larger sense]:
1. Intention
2. Character: palpability, credibility, motive
3. Structure: rhythm, tension
4. Foreshadowing
5. Theme: leitmotiv
6. Continuity of tone.
MICRO-VIEW [Traditional editing]
1. Language
2. Repetition
3. Redundancy
4. Clarify
5. Authenticity: image, dialogue
6. Continuity: visuals, character
7. Show and tell
8. Beginnings, endings, transitions
Would-Be-Editor 