BY MCKENNA GARDNER
The role of editors.
Today, I liken the different roles editors fill to underwater exploration.
Content editors are the ones that get inside their steel, circular contraptions and take a dive all the way to the bottom of the ocean, taking in the scene as they go. At first submission, they notice all the intricate crevices, rock formations, and geological anomalies from a distance.
As the content editor approaches the foundation of the ocean, they see the details of what contributes to those unique characteristics of the bottom of the sea. They can see for long distances and can help an author form their ideas in the most efficient way possible.
The content editor digs deep. They want to know the meaning, the purpose, the ‘whys’ for everything. To test the foundation of a story, just like the ocean floor, they’re going to have to probe, examine, and question.
On their way back to the surface, the content editor will hand off the story to the line editor, the ones scuba diving around a shipwreck. The line editors are looking through every nook and cranny on that ship, making sure that they’ve discovered all the important elements to a good find.
When something seems to be missing, the line editor may communicate to their teammate, the deep sea diver, and find out if any lost treasure has passed through the ship’s holes and descended to the bottom of the ocean. Otherwise, their efforts with the author are maintained at a reasonable depth and the current structure of the story is simply strengthened instead of changed.
After the line editor has scoured the shipwreck for anything awry, the story then is snagged by the final approval shark, generally the editor-in-chief. This beauty glides through the water, overseeing everything underway with sharp eyes and a nose for mistakes. She’ll pass by a few times and make sure efforts are headed in the right direction, while the divers simply pray they won’t be eaten alive.
Then comes the snorkeler, the ever-important proofreader who stays on the surface for the most part, but can see some of the most interesting elements of the story, the color, the feel, the ebb and flow of waves. T
hey aren’t diving down into the dark depths, but they are using their skills to see the details of each individual fish, plant, and even grain of sand. They are an integral part of the exploration process.
After the snorkeler, the story is formatted by a mystical creature with magical powers, a human torso, but a fish tail. This creature delivers miracles to the land and sea.
Then, it is finally allowed to be enjoyed by the public as they sit on the beach. They know there are unimaginable depths to the story, just like the ocean, but they don’t see them, they just feel them there, and feel the majestic beauty of a well-created body of water.
Might there be a mistake? Perhaps. Okay, most likely. But they won’t take notice or care, since they know the story was written for them.
When Senior Editor McKenna Gardner isn’t ferreting out strange new creatures or debunking seizmic anomalies, she lives and writes from her home in in Arizona, where she lives with her husband and daughters. She is currently decompressing from her latest deep-sea dive, Kingdom City: Resurrection by Ben Ireland, which will be released on February 28, 2014. Follow McKenna the Writer on Facebook and Twitter.
