We draw out what’s wondrous

Fiction Editors: What advice do you have for writers about the beginning of their pieces?

Avoid “throat clearing”—the tendency writers have to take too long establishing character, setting, time, and relationships before something interesting happens. As readers, we don’t need much information to participate in a story. Start with conflict, with a disruption, and we’ll fill in the blanks about the details (who the character is, where they are, etc.). Conflict gives us a reason to care about the character, and if we have that, we’re more than willing to go along on the journey with you and discover everything there is to discover in your story.

Scott TSR SullivanDecember 8, 2020Editors, West Trade Review

a balance between open-mindedness and advocating for yourself

What's your advice for writers about working with an editor?

Try to strike a balance between open-mindedness and advocating for yourself. One benefit of working with a good editor is that they will recognize the potential of your work, as well as its existing strengths and weaknesses, which you might be too close to it to see, yourself. If you approach the editorial process with an open mind, ideally your editor will help you pursue your work’s potential, drawing out its strengths, and mitigating or eliminating its weaknesses. But every now and then you’ll work with someone who misunderstands your work entirely. To learn when to embrace a smart editor’s changes, and when you ought to defend your work against editorial changes that would work against its original intention, takes time, but your work will benefit enormously.

Rachel LyonScott TSR SullivanNovember 11, 2020Editor-in-Chief, Epiphany