#longsummer

As we eagerly await the release of the Longsummer Nights anthology, I thought it might be interesting to take a peek behind the curtain and talk about one of the aspects of publishing that tends to be a bit of an unsung hero: editing. I reached out to Dayna K. Smith, one of the editors on the anthology, who was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions. What a delight her answers are and incredibly thoughtful and informative! Enjoy!

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“The first draft is black and white. Editing gives the story color”. --Emma Hill

Let’s begin with a little bit about you. What would you say are 3 essential pieces of information about yourself.

I'm a queer farm witch with a predilection for werewolves!

I’d like to ask you about your role as editor for Longsummer Nights, @vowtogether’s shared-universe LGBTQ+ paranormal romance anthology. What made you take on the mantle of editing such an ambitious project?

Originally I had a story to include, but I just could not drag it loose from my brain. I came to realize I'd overworked the writing muscle in my creative mind, and was actually eager to flex my editing and story doctoring skills! This was a great opportunity to exploit some organically-occuring, much-needed excitement in myself and still participate in Vow's first big prose project.

During VOW’s 24 hour Q&A, there were a lot of questions asked about writing, but editing is a skill in and of itself. (For anyone who may not be familiar with the field, there are all kinds of editing, with the main four types being proofreading, copy editing, developmental editing and substantive editing.) What kind of editing have you been doing for the anthology?

I've been doing mostly developmental and substantive editing, alongside Continuity Editor Rien Gray and Devan Soyka on copyediting. With permission, I've also gotten to do some story doctoring: a controversial practice where an editor is allowed to venture into more direct sculpting suggestions. ("I would do it like this...") Loads of fun as long as you make sure not to overstep what the writer says would be helpful!

Do you have a specific number of reads per short story or does it vary?

I always read a full draft at least twice through: once quickly to get general impressions, and once where I slow waaaay down and get granular. I also double-check prior notes relating to issues cropping up in multiple spots, or an opportunity to address an earlier question, or pointing out an underutilized (or well-utilized!) motif, etc.

Have you ever done this kind of editorial work before?

Yes and no! I've done tons of kit-bashing and critiquing back in college, with my current novel-writing group, at the CSSF Novel Workshop in Kansas, and at the Clarion UCSD short story workshop. (Kit-bashing is a full-on type of workshop where your trusted peers pry apart every bolt and gear of your outline in ways you couldn't even imagine.) All those times, I was responsible only to my personal reputation (and maybe the muses). This time, cognizant of the honor of having my name on the Longsummer Anthology, I've approached each story with a sharper sense of responsibility--a dedication to pulling the entire sled across the ice side-by-side with my partners.

You are also a professional writer. How do the challenges of editing compare to the challenges of writing?

Editing is basically another way of writing, so it has similarly intense joys and confusions. The good news is you're sharing and solving the confusions as a team; the story is fundamentally not yours, so you can freewheel through tons of possible paths without the same pangs of attachment. There's a playful freedom to approaching someone else's ideas with a deep, thoughtful appreciation and a whole new well of energy that hasn't already been drained by creating the story as it stands.

How would you describe the role of the editor in a project like this?

The role of an editor is always to help the writer guide the story into what the writer wants it to be. There is no platonic "best" version of a story, no way the plot points "should" go, only how the writer wants it to go. Sometimes that takes someone with a clear perspective who can ask the right questions, and offer deeply-considered impressions of what the current draft evokes in a reader, so the writer can compare that to what they want and shape the next draft from there.

How do you balance cooperating with the writer and your own opinion on specific aspects of their story?

Reminding myself that it's not my story is hard! I don't always succeed. I try to face each thorn in a story by relating how the current version makes me feel/wonder and ask if that's what the writer intends; in case it's not--and if something stuck out to me, then it usually isn't intentional--I spitball a couple ideas as to how that reader impression could be reshaped.

Does praise play a role when you are providing feedback or do you keep things as neutral as possible?

Oh heck yeah, praise is vital. I don't use praise to lie--even in a super rough zero draft, I walk in knowing SOMETHING will be interesting or have cool potential. Writing is punishment enough without some jerk banging a drum and screaming "ROW, YOU SCUM." Stress better bring some joy or find other, better stress. Editing is helping. Joy and praise help.

“A good editor doesn't rewrite words, she rewires synapses.” --S. Kelley Harrell. Can you explain what this means to you?

Goddamn that was fast!!!

@vowtogether has some awesome fans ❤️

@xekstrin uh oh....

Update:

UPDATE TWO:

Congratulations @vowtogether !!!!!!!

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