I have great editors, and I always have. Somehow, great editors ask the right questions or pose things to you that get you to write better. It's a dance between you, your characters, and your editor.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
There are many more want-to-be writers out there than good editors.
Truth is, every writer has to be a good editor, and you have to edit yourself. It's a skill every writer has to acquire.
There are two kinds of editors, those who correct your copy and those who say it's wonderful.
In my experience, with very few exceptions - I am, as it happens, one of the exceptions - the one thing that most editors don't want to do is edit. It's not nearly as conducive to a successful career as having lunch out with important agents or going to meetings where you get noticed.
Most writers adore their editors, and I'm no exception.
One should fight like the devil the temptation to think well of editors. They are all, without exception - at least some of the time, incompetent or crazy.
I try to help people become the best possible editors of their own work, to help them become conscious of the things they do well, of the things they need to look at again, of the wells of material they have not even begun to dip their buckets into.
Writing is just very difficult. I'm an adequate performer. And I think I have a special talent as an editor. Editing is what I do best.
In the world of book writing, an author really gets to have control over what he or she writes, which is why it is very satisfying. With the help of a great compatible editor, you really have something in the end you can call your own.
Being an editor doesn't make you a better writer - or vice versa. The worst thing any editor can do is be in competition with his writer.