Power Stabilized

Into the Fire

This excerpt is a description of the seas of FireWorld. I rather feel as if I've been dropped into these seas today, because I am being tortured by editing demons in editing hellfire. I recently completed a thorough developmental edit with a well-respected, thoughtful and intelligent editor, then sent my manuscript off for a copy edit. But now the copy editor--whose identity I don't know because she works for an organization--who doesn't know I just completed a high level edit, thinks it needs a higher level edit. Hmmm. Two editorial minds disagree and I'm stuck in the middle. Who is right? Or, put another way: whose ideas would better serve my story? The difficulty is that I cannot afford to pay the rather high price another higher level edit would cost, especially just to be confronted with a difference of opinion on what works best for my novel. Do you feel me twisting, twisting in the blue flames? I decided to stick by my developmental editor and her suggestions and politely declined to pay for another higher level edit. I will get the copy edit back and work through those changes. But now I will have that nagging, niggly doubt: would my story have been better if. . . . Ah, the joys of writing.