Woof, and one of my nicknames is literally "The Tyrant." Excellent breakdown. This is the sort of constructive criticism that people should crave. I appreciate it. I'm hoping (very much) Mr. Baciu does too, as I've found him to be a promising young author myself.
I'd also like to point out that this is the sort of breakdown you will get i…
Woof, and one of my nicknames is literally "The Tyrant." Excellent breakdown. This is the sort of constructive criticism that people should crave. I appreciate it. I'm hoping (very much) Mr. Baciu does too, as I've found him to be a promising young author myself.
I'd also like to point out that this is the sort of breakdown you will get in a developmental edit from a professional editor. Often it will be played out in inline notes and commentary, and will be covered thoroughly in the editorial letter or document customarily presented at the end of a full line and dev edit.
A good critique or edit goes into this sort of depth, while a bad critique or top down editorial demand will give no further explanation. If you're lucky you're working with someone who invests themselves in you as an author. It is not uncommon to find examples of sentences or small passages "fixed" as examples in an actual line and dev edit (a fantastic tool, but never to be overused, and never to be programmatically proscriptive with. Trust your client because they have trusted you. Otherwise you should have indicated their level of competence at their apparent stage as an author to start, and don't commit to giving someone a bootstrapped MFA in a can in a line edit unless you're insane. (I've done this before, I don't suggest it unless you're being paid very well.))
The single best crit I ever got (besides one where Blake Butler's sole feedback was "I wouldn't change a word, it is perfect how it is.") was when Sarah Gerard SLAUGHTERED the story on my stack that turned into Our Year. She gutted me with a fishhook and I was thankful for it. The story turned out better in the end than I ever imagined it would. Even if it took another 7 years to do it.
I clicked on this post to leave a comment—one that wasn’t even relevant to the Restack Note—and saw there was already one there. I said to myself, “It’s probably Emil.” I won’t repeat what I said in my Restack Note about Nichita Stănescu and Geo Bogza; you’ve already touched on the same points in your Sarah Gerard anecdote. Needless to say, I’m thankful for it. I appreciated the high level of professionalism and care I received.
Woof, and one of my nicknames is literally "The Tyrant." Excellent breakdown. This is the sort of constructive criticism that people should crave. I appreciate it. I'm hoping (very much) Mr. Baciu does too, as I've found him to be a promising young author myself.
I'd also like to point out that this is the sort of breakdown you will get in a developmental edit from a professional editor. Often it will be played out in inline notes and commentary, and will be covered thoroughly in the editorial letter or document customarily presented at the end of a full line and dev edit.
A good critique or edit goes into this sort of depth, while a bad critique or top down editorial demand will give no further explanation. If you're lucky you're working with someone who invests themselves in you as an author. It is not uncommon to find examples of sentences or small passages "fixed" as examples in an actual line and dev edit (a fantastic tool, but never to be overused, and never to be programmatically proscriptive with. Trust your client because they have trusted you. Otherwise you should have indicated their level of competence at their apparent stage as an author to start, and don't commit to giving someone a bootstrapped MFA in a can in a line edit unless you're insane. (I've done this before, I don't suggest it unless you're being paid very well.))
The single best crit I ever got (besides one where Blake Butler's sole feedback was "I wouldn't change a word, it is perfect how it is.") was when Sarah Gerard SLAUGHTERED the story on my stack that turned into Our Year. She gutted me with a fishhook and I was thankful for it. The story turned out better in the end than I ever imagined it would. Even if it took another 7 years to do it.
I clicked on this post to leave a comment—one that wasn’t even relevant to the Restack Note—and saw there was already one there. I said to myself, “It’s probably Emil.” I won’t repeat what I said in my Restack Note about Nichita Stănescu and Geo Bogza; you’ve already touched on the same points in your Sarah Gerard anecdote. Needless to say, I’m thankful for it. I appreciated the high level of professionalism and care I received.