Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business end of the pen?
Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of editing plays a significant role in the story?
On Oct 31, 12:15 pm, "Ken from Chicago" <kwicker1b_nos...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), > but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business > end of the pen?
> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of > editing plays a significant role in the story?
The hero of _What Mad Universe_ is the editor of a science fiction magazine.
In article <du-dnQGnZvIq7XHXnZ2dnUVZ_j-dn...@giganews.com>, Ken from Chicago <kwicker1b_nos...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), >but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business >end of the pen?
>Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
>Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of >editing plays a significant role in the story?
There's that Turtledove story, on whose title I am blanking, about the 1980s-vintage SF writer who discovers a time machine, goes back to the 1950s, and starts selling stories, some of which are her own and some of which she stole from other writers *before* they had written them. One of the writers sees a story of his which he hadn't submitted yet, in print under her by-line, and he tells the editor, who comes out to California to investigate. The editor is a thinly disguised John Campbell, and (this should not surprise anybody who knows him) he takes over the investigation and the story as soon as he steps onstage.
Then there's Fredric Brown's _What Mad Universe?_ in which an editor is blipped into an alternate universe as envisioned by a teenaged fan.
There's the editor in Clarke's "A Recursion in Metastories," but I forget how much space he takes up.
-- Dorothy J. Heydt Vallejo, California djheydt at hotmail dot com Should you wish to email me, you'd better use the hotmail edress. Kithrup is getting too damn much spam, even with the sysop's filters.
> In article <du-dnQGnZvIq7XHXnZ2dnUVZ_j-dn...@giganews.com>, > Ken from Chicago <kwicker1b_nos...@comcast.net> wrote:
> >Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), > >but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business > >end of the pen?
> >Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
> >Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of > >editing plays a significant role in the story?
> There's that Turtledove story, on whose title I am blanking, > about the 1980s-vintage SF writer who discovers a time machine, > goes back to the 1950s, and starts selling stories, some of which > are her own and some of which she stole from other writers > *before* they had written them. One of the writers sees a story > of his which he hadn't submitted yet, in print under her by-line, > and he tells the editor, who comes out to California to > investigate. The editor is a thinly disguised John Campbell, and > (this should not surprise anybody who knows him) he takes over > the investigation and the story as soon as he steps onstage.
> On Oct 31, 12:56 pm, djhe...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J Heydt) wrote:
> > There's that Turtledove story, on whose title I am blanking, > > about the 1980s-vintage SF writer who discovers a time machine, > > goes back to the 1950s, and starts selling stories, some of which > > are her own and some of which she stole from other writers > > *before* they had written them. One of the writers sees a story > > of his which he hadn't submitted yet, in print under her by-line, > > and he tells the editor, who comes out to California to > > investigate. The editor is a thinly disguised John Campbell, and > > (this should not surprise anybody who knows him) he takes over > > the investigation and the story as soon as he steps onstage.
[QUOTE] Turtledove, Harry (as Eric G. Iverson), "Hindsight"
A science fiction writer goes back in time to the early 1950s. There she sells stories by other writers from her own time in order to alter the course of history. Such events as the abandonment of phonics, the Vietnam War, and the ending of the space program must be changed. John W. Campbell appears under the name of James McGregor.
Analog SF/SF, 104:13 Mid-December 1984 (pp.42-76)
Kaleidoscope, Del Rey 36477-5, April 1990 (pp.95-127) [END QUOTE]
On Oct 31, 5:15 pm, "Ken from Chicago" <kwicker1b_nos...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of > editing plays a significant role in the story?
It isn't SF, but I liked FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM by Umberto Eco. The main characters are editors for a company which starts publishing occult books. They see a lot of Secret Histories, and think "We're educated men, we can do better than THAT." So they make up their own secret occult history about secret powers, and it's really good. In fact it's so good that the nutters think that it must be THE TRVTH, and won't take "We made it up" for an answer.
On Oct 31, 9:08 pm, David Cowie <david_co...@lineone.net> wrote:
> It isn't SF, but I liked FOUCAULT'S PENDULUM by Umberto Eco.
And there's a short section where one of the editor characters fantasises about being Shakespeare's editor, and changing the first draft of HAMLET around to the form we know today.
On Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:56:47 GMT, djhe...@kithrup.com (Dorothy J
Heydt) wrote: >Then there's Fredric Brown's _What Mad Universe?_ in which an >editor is blipped into an alternate universe as envisioned by a >teenaged fan.
Or his "The Angelic Angleworm" could apply here.
-- "In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found, than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature, and not to the executive department."
In article <KsE4In....@kithrup.com>, djhe...@kithrup.com says...
> Then there's Fredric Brown's _What Mad Universe?_ in which an > editor is blipped into an alternate universe as envisioned by a > teenaged fan.
IIRC, it's more the alternate universe that the editor assumes the teenaged fan would envision. Much of the fun is Brown coming up with reasons for some of the weirder results.
Ken from Chicago wrote: > Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), > but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business > end of the pen?
> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of > editing plays a significant role in the story?
> -- Ken from Chicago
The Flash has used his dimensional treadmill to come to this Earth, where he has met the writers and editors of DC comics.
William December Starr wrote: > I keep seeing this thread's subject as "Edit me? I'll eat you!"
> Which would be a whole different type of author/editor relationship.
Gives the reader a whole new way of measuring an author's experience. The highly successful, best-selling authors are slim while the newer, just starting out authors tend to be overweight. :-P
-- 7 Years - 2265 Experiments - 10 tons of explosives - 705 Myths Myths - Will - Fall!
On 31 Oct, 18:15, "Ken from Chicago" <kwicker1b_nos...@comcast.net> wrote:
> Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), > but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business > end of the pen?
> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of > editing plays a significant role in the story?
There's a couple of Asimov short stories - "The Monkey's Finger" and "Author, Author!". Both feature an editor as a major character and the editing process is important in both stories.
> Ken from Chicago wrote: >> Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), >> but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business >> end of the pen?
>> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
>> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of >> editing plays a significant role in the story?
>> -- Ken from Chicago
> The Flash has used his dimensional treadmill to come to this Earth, where > he has met the writers and editors of DC comics.
> Brenda
Nice. Did John Byrne ever have editors in stories where he was in the story?
-- Ken from Chicago (who bought the reprint a few years ago of "Buy this comics, Flash's life depends on it" issue of THE FLASH)
> William December Starr wrote: >> I keep seeing this thread's subject as "Edit me? I'll eat you!"
>> Which would be a whole different type of author/editor relationship.
> Gives the reader a whole new way of measuring an author's experience. The > highly successful, best-selling authors are slim while the newer, just > starting out authors tend to be overweight. :-P
> "Brenda Clough" <Bre...@sff.net> wrote in message > news:hckfca$10d6$2@adenine.netfront.net... >> Ken from Chicago wrote: >>> Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), >>> but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business >>> end of the pen?
>>> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
>>> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of >>> editing plays a significant role in the story?
>> The Flash has used his dimensional treadmill to come to this Earth, where >> he has met the writers and editors of DC comics.
> Nice. Did John Byrne ever have editors in stories where he was in the story?
Yes, in SHE-HULK, often, and in FANTASTIC FOUR at least once.
Ken from Chicago wrote: > "Dimensional Traveler" <dtra...@sonic.net> wrote in message > news:4aee7016$0$1637$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net... >> William December Starr wrote: >>> I keep seeing this thread's subject as "Edit me? I'll eat you!"
>>> Which would be a whole different type of author/editor relationship.
>> Gives the reader a whole new way of measuring an author's experience. The >> highly successful, best-selling authors are slim while the newer, just >> starting out authors tend to be overweight. :-P
> Wouldn't it be the opposite?
How many times have people here complained that so-and-so isn't being edited because he's been too successful?
-- 7 Years - 2265 Experiments - 10 tons of explosives - 705 Myths Myths - Will - Fall!
Dimensional Traveler <dtra...@sonic.net> writes: >Ken from Chicago wrote: >> "Dimensional Traveler" <dtra...@sonic.net> wrote in message >> news:4aee7016$0$1637$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net... >>> William December Starr wrote: >>>> I keep seeing this thread's subject as "Edit me? I'll eat you!"
>>>> Which would be a whole different type of author/editor relationship.
>>> Gives the reader a whole new way of measuring an author's experience. The >>> highly successful, best-selling authors are slim while the newer, just >>> starting out authors tend to be overweight. :-P
>> Wouldn't it be the opposite?
>How many times have people here complained that so-and-so isn't being >edited because he's been too successful?
And how many of those people are delicious?
-- Joseph Nebus --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- ObSF: Uh, that Clarke short-short. You know the one.
On Sun, 1 Nov 2009 23:35:20 -0800 (PST), Nigel <ncwa...@hotmail.com> wrote: >On 31 Oct, 18:15, "Ken from Chicago" <kwicker1b_nos...@comcast.net> >wrote: >> Plenty of stories are about writers (ala the "write what you know" rule), >> but have writers turned the tables and placed the editors on the business >> end of the pen?
>> Are there good stories about editors (see the above rule)?
>> Preferably where editors are featured characters and / or the process of >> editing plays a significant role in the story?
>There's a couple of Asimov short stories - "The Monkey's Finger" and >"Author, Author!". Both feature an editor as a major character and >the editing process is important in both stories.
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