Thread by @ccfinlay

One of the things fiction editors never talk much about (to me) is the emotional labor of editing.

Every time an editor reads a submission, we need to be emotionally open to the effects of the story, with a clear awareness (if possible) of what the writer is intending to do.

It's the only way to be fair to the story =and= to our readers, who will be coming to the story with that same openness.

But then we have to turn that off. Evaluating whether a story works or doesn't work requires detachment and self-awareness about one's reactions. So does evaluating whether a story that does work is a good fit for the market at that time or not.

Then, when replying to submissions, if you're not using a form, it's important to be emotionally engaged again. To remember that the writer invested all that time and effort into writing the story, that they are making an effort to engage with a larger audience. To respect that.

We all have limits to our emotional reserves. I know a lot of editors use form letters for replies, and I think part of that is to preserve emotional energy for other things. I respect that too. And am frequently tempted by it!

There's a constant toggling between modes of engagement. This is especially true when editing a story. To do it right, you have to be emotionally engaged with the writing, no matter how many times you read and reread the story.

But to be helpful to the writer, you have to be analytically engaged, to toggle over to the other skill set and evaluate your emotional response, so that you can identify it properly for the writer and maybe offer some useful suggestions or tools for them to work with.

I think there's a danger for editors in becoming too engaged all the time -- for one thing, it can lead to burnout and not enough energy to take care of the other important people and things in your life.

But there's also a danger in becoming too detached and analytical, because you lose touch with the things that will inspire readers and break their hearts.

When you're too detached, you can become too susceptible to formula and familiar tropes. And you'll miss out on the unusual but really great stories that have a chance to be transformative.

So, like I said, I never hear other editors talk much about this. So maybe it's not editing in general. Maybe it's just me. But as I push through the F&SF submission queue, it's something I'm thinking about.