Let's Get Personal

When I began editing, I thought fiction would be my favorite genre to edit since it was my favorite to read. And for a while, that was all I wanted to edit because it was all I enjoyed reading.

I don't remember the first non-fiction manuscript I edited, but I do remember the first memoir. It was emotional, devastating, heartbreaking—the kind of story you wish was fiction. 

The thing with editing those kinds of stories is they hardly ever come packaged neatly. They often require a deep, intense inspection and dissection and lots of reorganization. The way we naturally tell stories, the way we recall our memories, is imperfect. We say one thing, then realize we need to provide more context for that one thing to make sense—and then, “Oh, wait … actually, before that happened I met so and so to do this and go there.” And because we lived the thing, we often omit details, not realizing their significance or that they're necessary to understand our story.

And if a story is traumatic, there are usually gaps in memories. The writer has to go through an incredibly emotional journey to get the story on paper—rereading it to check timelines, details, flow, etc. isn't always an option.

 So editing these kinds of stories is difficult for many reasons … but they're rewarding for so many more.

Memoirs and autobiographies of this nature require me to get into the writer's story with them, hold their hand, and take the journey through their trauma, their abuse, their neglect, their pain, the things they should never have experienced. It's emotionally taxing. I have to ask questions. I have to get context. I have to understand the how, the what, and the when of what they experienced.

These edits take longer. They require more energy and effort and bandwidth … and more breaks. More time away from the manuscript. Some time to watch cartoons, go outside, or just not think.

But the reward of helping someone communicate their story is unmatched. I often work with writers to share experiences they've never shared before. That kind of trust is a privilege—an honor—I don't take lightly.

Young C. Rosmon would be surprised to learn these are now my favorite stories to edit.

I still enjoy my fiction manuscripts, of course. I need fantasy novels and rom-coms to edit. I need the cute and the fun and the mystical.

I just also need to help writers tell their difficult personal stories.

Rooting for you always,