Working with a developmental editor can be a daunting prospect for academics. You are often confronted with memories of all the people in your past who gave you unkind or unjustified feedback on your writing. Or you may have a very recent memory of a reader report that badly stung. You might worry that we (editors) are going to judge you and or tell you that your project is crap.
I was recently on a panel, “Understanding Editors,” organized by the University Press of Florida; and I spoke briefly about how emotionally challenging it can be to work with an editor—including a developmental editor. I’d like to elaborate on my comments here and propose some ways to recognize and take seriously your fears and anxieties.
Your worries are legitimate. Take them seriously! You don’t know what we’re going to see in your writing or what we’re going to ask you to do to improve it. If you’ve hired a new-to-you editor, you may worry that their tone may not be gentle enough or that they won’t really understand your project. More broadly, you may be dealing with imposter syndrome that leaves you wondering, “How do I know this story is worth telling?” or “What is some other scholar could say it better?”
If you’ve identified the resources, are thinking about working with an editor, and are stressed out about the prospect—ponder the following:
Ask yourself: “What am I most worried about?” Are your concerns internal to you (e.g., a saboteur that says you don’t know how to write)? Or are they about the editor’s approach (e.g., if they’ll be unkind in their feedback)? Or are your worries about something else entirely (e.g., the editorial feedback will be too much to implement!)?
Recognize that most (all?) academics feel some version of what you feel. Be gentle with the tender thoughts that potentially leave you feeling vulnerable and inadequate.
Ask yourself: “Do these concerns need to be addressed before hiring a developmental editor—or are these worries that I just need to hold space for as I go through the editing process?” If these worries are destabilizing or stalling you, you’ll probably need to say them out loud.
Ask yourself: “Who can I talk to about these concerns?” Sometimes identifying and saying our worries out loud diminishes their power. Sometimes a friend or compassionate colleague can be of help.
Ask yourself: “Will a consultation with a prospective developmental editor be of help in working through these worries?” Many developmental editors offer free consults, where you can bring up your questions and knotty feelings.
Perhaps schedule a consult with a developmental editor. You can ask the editors questions such as 1) What type of approach do you bring to the editing process? 2) Have you ever had a manuscript that’s too messy to edit? 3) I struggle to find my own voice in my writing. How do you walk authors through this personal challenge? And from their answers, you’ll get a feel for their energy and how you vibe and if they’ll respond with gentleness and kindness to you and your writing.
Ask yourself: “If a consult with a developmental editor is not quite right, when might I be ready?” When might your body-mind feel like it’s safe to reach out for feedback?
Going through these steps can help identify your worries and how to respond to them. Instead of feeling an amorphous blob of anxiety, you can start to figure out the nuances of your concerns and what might help you navigate them. The goal is not to pretend they don’t exist or to “fix” them.
I know (potential) clients come to me with all sorts of worries, some of which they’ll share with me. I know that the toxicity, competition, and Eurocentrism of academia forces folks to perform and mask—even around colleagues who are friends.
In my own developmental editing practice, I commit to being gentle and honest. I will be tender with your emotions and your writing—without forsaking honest feedback.
Clients have described me as “a compassionate mentor… [who] model[s] a unique kind of grounded, embodied guidance.” And they write that I am attuned to [their] physical and neuro needs and made the complex work of dissertation research come together through empathetic coaching and careful, thoughtful editing.”
Being edited is always a vulnerable experience. But it doesn’t have to be painful. There is another way. And there are other developmental editors out there who are just as committed as I am to treating clients with tenderness.
Here’s a link to a full recording of the publishing panel “Understanding Editors” if you’d like to hear more of my comments and benefit from the insights of the other panelists.