19.08: NaNoWriMo Revision with Ali Fisher: Working with an Editor
Writing Excuses
Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, Dan Wells, and Howard Tayler
4.6 • 1.4K Ratings
🗓️ 25 February 2024
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
An agent, an editor, and a writer walk into a Zoom room and record a podcast... but really... that's (part of) what this episode is!
First off, a reminder that your agent, your editor, and you are all on the same team! They are all trying to make the same book (your book!) a better book. Whether you've published before or are just starting your first short story, we are so excited for you to dive into this episode.
For our final episode in our three-part series on revising your NaNoWriMo manuscript—or any other large writing project—we are diving into how to work with an editor! We wanted to show you a peek behind the curtain that is publishing and editing-- what does this relationship look like? How do you handle differences, conflicts, and priorities? What IS an edit letter?
Our guest for this series has been the inimitable editor Ali Fisher, who works at Tor. Thank you, Ali, for your advice, stories, and time!
Homework:
Take a work written by someone else (anyone else!) and come up with three questions you have for the author that would help them clarify their intention in the text.
This could be a movie you've seen, a project you're beta-reading for a friend, or a short story you've stumbled upon.
Then, apply these questions to your own work in progress!
Thing of the Week from Ali:
Ali has two podcast recommendations for you!
Oh These, Those Stars of Space!
Sign up for our newsletter:
Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Ali Fisher. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode of Writing Excuses has been brought to you by our listeners, patrons, and friends. |
| 0:05.6 | If you would like to learn how to support this podcast, visit |
| 0:08.9 | www.patreon.com slash writing excuses. |
| 0:15.4 | Season 19 episode 8. |
| 0:20.2 | This is writing excuses. |
| 0:22.4 | A mini series on revision with Ali Fisher, |
| 0:25.0 | working with an editor. |
| 0:27.0 | I'm Mary Robinette. |
| 0:28.0 | I'm Don Juan. |
| 0:29.0 | And I'm Ali Fisher. |
| 0:31.0 | So I am very excited about this episode. |
| 0:34.0 | Let me tell you what we're about to do. |
| 0:36.0 | I am about to ask Dang 1 and Allie |
| 0:40.0 | all of the questions that I wish I'd been able to ask an agent in an editor before I had |
| 0:46.1 | published a novel. |
| 0:47.1 | Amazing. |
| 0:48.1 | We are so excited to answer these questions. |
| 0:51.1 | I wish I could transmit from my brain all the information I know |
| 0:54.8 | about how this process goes to every writer in the world because that's the whole |
| 0:58.8 | point of this. We want them to feel comfortable coming into the process and see how |
| 1:02.4 | it's not scary and even though it is difficult at times that we're all pulling for the same goal at the end of the day. |
| 1:10.0 | Yeah, yeah, and yes. And I will say one of the things just straight up off the bat, dear writers that you should know, is that your agent and your editor and you are all on the same team. |
... |
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