How Editors No Longer Represent the Voice of the Readers

Don’t forget to tip! I appreciate you all!At 16, I sent off my first story to a paying market. I’d yet to sell a short story, but I’d had articles accepted for publication in both paying and nonpaying markets. For this one, I decided to pull out all the stops. I went down to the dime store and bought some fancy stationery that resembled a marble slab. I thought that added gravitas. Finally, I printed out the story in a squiggly font.By the time I was done, my submission looked like a reproduction of the Ten Commandments. Surely the editor would be amazed to open the envelope and behold pages that resembled writing carved into stone.I sent it away with a self-addressed stamped envelope. A few weeks later, I received a reply. The editor simple wrote, “Use white paper. Use a standard font.”Thus began my ongoing conversation with editors. Sometimes they told me what I needed to hear rather than what I wanted to hear, but the information was always vital. These days, the role of the editor has faded almost into insignificance, and that saddens me.Conversations with faceless entitiesAt 20, I sent off a different story. This time I paid better attention to the submission guidelines, but when my self-addressed envelope returned it contained another rejection.The text at the top of the page was longer. It included a couple of notes and finished with the line, “Decent story, do send more.”Even after all the thousands of notes and comments I’ve received throughout the years, that simple line of encouragement is still a source of motivation. It sits in my mind as if written in light. Above all things, writers have a hunger to hear that their words are needed.Keep going.Have we lost the time to lose ourselves in words?Though I have managed to sell novels, breaking through into the short story market has proven difficult for me. I’ve had much better luck with articles.Over the last few years, I’ve been able to incorporate narrative elements in everything I write. I think you’re always better off making your point in story form. Those techniques make it easier to capture the reader.Editors have told me as much, but these days readers have sent me the encouragement directly. Maybe readers no longer have the time to lose themselves in an engrossing short story, but they still hunger for a taste of what that kind of writing can create.In the past, writers had to rely heavily on the perception of editors because the interaction with readers just wasn’t there. Editors gained their knowledge from sales data, submissions, and the letters that they received. That information used to be compartmentalized, now it’s freely available to anyone who works in writing.The mystique of the editor is gone.Condense, condense, condenseThere are still a few markets that publish truly literary short stories. These publications are like traveling back to a simpler time. They remind me of when I used to page through the Writer’s Marketplace in search of the snail mail address of a magazine willing to buy stories.Today, writing like that feels like taking a ride on a steam engine. The editor would be there like a train conductor dressed in a neat and pressed uniform. They’d meticulously comb through your work to ensure it bloomed into its full potential.A literary short story is a miraculous thing if you can extract one from the ether. Quality stories have the capacity to change your perception of reality. Examples such as The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a narrative that serves as social commentary. In contrast, the modern marketplace calls for social commentary with a narrative element.Modern writers still want to change hearts, but we have to use a shot of espresso rather than a pot of coffee.Readers can recognize good writing even if they can’t create itI expect even Edgar Allan Poe would be challenged to place his work in the modern marketplace, though there are a few places where he’d be able to get a decent paycheck. But I wonder if there would be any chance of such eloquent prose ever going “viral.”If Poe isn’t good enough to go viral, then going viral is overrated.My early stories were all variations on other stories that I had read. This allows you to let your predecessors do the heavy lifting. They’ve sketched out the plot, and it’s up to you to provide the adjustments to make the story align with modern expectations.The readers might not be able to explain exactly what they want, but they know it when they see it. That’s the magic of writing. The expectation floats around in the atmosphere. It’s up to us to harvest the sentiment and express it in words.Inspiration comes in cyclesRevisiting old concepts is fairly common. The Martian is a retelling of Robinson Crusoe. Modern people might not know what a sextant is, but they know what it feels like to be abandoned. The retelling needs to lean into the universal.Palm Springs is a retelling of Groundhog Day. The major difference is that Palm Springs features multiple people caught up in a time loop where Groundhog Day only had one. The introduction of additional characters allows for fascinating comments on identity and accountability.Even a story like The Terminator bears strong similarities to the work of Harlan Ellison. However, as the movie franchise continues, the themes get farther and farther away from the original source material.Inspiration is an essential element of all creative work. Writers build on the work of other writers with the guidance of editors and the feedback of readers.Readers have become our editorsToday, the submission process is different than it was in the days before the internet. It’s easier, but not necessarily better. I often encourage writers to find inspiration by searching for the word “submission” in their sent folder. You’ll probably uncover dozens of old articles and stories that never found a home.I’ve found that many of my old submissions can’t be salvaged, but there are others that served either for reworking or for inspiration. The essential element contained in your work can be harvested and reused again and again. The modern flavor is always different than the one from even a few months ago, even if the truth remains the same.The days of the self-addressed return envelope are gone. One thing that remains consistent is the ongoing conversation between you and the readers. The editors used to stand in for the readers, but the line has become blurred.My mental image of “the editor”Over the years, I’ve developed a mental picture of “the editor.” It’s a combination of all the suggestions and voices I’ve ever heard. It starts with “Use white paper” and continues to “Do send more.” It’s like a living document in my mind that contains all the important advice editors have told me. I run through it like a checklist whenever I write.But now, in addition to editors, the voices of readers have been worked into the mix. I hear their advice in comments, direct messages, and private notes. They’re part of the conversation now, and the role of the editor is changing. They all help to guide and direct me in the hope that I can capture something they can sense but they can’t quite put into words.The power of the editor has diminished to some extent, but the objective remains the same. The readers have muscled in. I find that I miss the old fashioned editor who used to approach me like a conductor on a train. She’s still there, but she’s transparent now. She’s starting to fade.You must learn to recognize good adviceThe real question is whether or not editors will soon be a thing of the past. The model of the reader representative is no longer necessary, the power now rests directly with the audience.I think we’re on the verge of a whole new and perhaps more democratic form of writing. Rather than editors, there are now readers whose names and profile pictures cycle into my psyche again and again.In a very real sense, the readers have taken on the role that the nameless, faceless editors used to occupy. They offer more notes, but those notes aren’t as consistently useful. Still, they’re very welcome.Even in my interactions with professional editors, I had to learn to discern which suggestions were good and which must be discarded. Perhaps with readers taking on the role of editor, writers will accelerate their development of that skill.The evolution of this process will change how stories are told, but it won’t change the underlying truth. I miss the interactions with editors of the past, but I’m also looking forward to the future.Thank you for listening! This publication is reader sponsored. Your support means the world to me. Thank you for being here, and I look forward to sharing more thoughts with you tomorrow!Upgrade at 30% offUpgrade at 40% offUpgrade at 50% offUpgrade at 60% offTwenty dollars a yearMy CoSchedule referral linkHere’s my referral link to my preferred headline analyzer tool. If you sign up through this, it’s another way to support this newsletter (thank you).I'd Rather Be Writing is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to I'd Rather Be Writing at walterrhein.substack.com/subscribe