It goes without saying that all writers must edit their work and all written work must be edited. But where and when and to what purpose? This was a conundrum that I faced early in my writing career when I received my manuscript, returned from a big name magazine publisher, in my carefully prepared SASE. Well, I hope we all know what that means. But, in case you don’t, considering the new way of submitting through Submittable and via email, SASE means: self-addressed-stamped-envelope. It used to be the way to ensure manuscripts were returned, usually with the formatted rejection letter. This return did not include a rejection letter, either formatted or personal. In fact, there was no letter at all. But the manuscript was clearly marked, quite extensively, in red. There were corrections and comments everywhere. So, what does a writer do? Was this a slap on the wrist for bad writing? Or, was this a suggestion to rewrite and resubmit? I chose the latter.

For the next day, I labored hard on rewriting the story and typing it up on fresh, clean paper, complete with a carbon copy. (On my typewriter, no less, as this was before the age of computers. And, no, I’m not that old.) I typed a new cover letter to accompany it: "Dear Mr. ----; Since you were so kind as to make some edits and suggestions to my manuscript, I figured you must be seriously interested in my story. I have reworked the piece and am enclosing it for your continued consideration."

 I sent the revised manuscript with the new cover letter to the same publisher with a new SASE for its safe return and return it did. Two weeks later. This time there was a letter enclosed. "Why are you sending me this story again? I have already read it once and do not want to read it again!"

His letter was not even properly typed on the magazine letterhead. It was merely a handwritten note on a scrap of paper. I took the hint and waited until he retired before submitting another story to that magazine. I never really understood why that particular editor bothered to mark up my story. It seems like a waste of his time to work on a piece he wasn’t even willing to consider for publication. But there you have it. He was probably working on his ego more than anything.

Later, I wrote an academic article for an academic journal. Non-paying, of course, but it was a means to establish my credibility as an academic. My article was accepted for publication, but it had to endure a rigorous round of editing before publication. I think the article went out to at least a dozen academics for editorial suggestions, each time being returned to me for rewrites. I complied with each request for a rewrite and was instantly relieved to receive a letter from the editor herself, informing me that the article was finally ready for publication. I had to chuckle when I saw the final published piece. It looked so much like my original submission – before all the edits and rewrites.

To edit, or not to edit? Well, it has to be done, I suppose. And every editor has his or her own idea of what is politically editorially correct, at least for their publication. So endure the process and enjoy the strange and bizarre experiences along the way. You may find a chuckle or two amongst your own experiences.