My editor redeemed himself.
Not by giving in, not by praising my work, but by naming specific things I needed to work on. In my case, it's adding other details happening that don't have to have to do with the story. Given how I write (from what I've seen yesterday), that focus and immersion on the experiences of the protagonist is like riding a train through a tunnel, and I have tunnel vision.
Successful authors don't want editors to rubber-stamp their work, they want to be pushed to grow. But we're all blind to our idiosyncracies that get in the way. That's why we have editors.
Because authors are intimate with their books, they don't understand global comments like "it's a bit choppy", "drags a bit", and "needs more cowbell". There needs to be a more specific, actionable comment like, "You need to include detail that does not involve the plot." or "you've used the word 'vitriol' five times in the first chapter -- can you find a synonym?"
The other thing about global comments is that sometimes they're spirit-killing. Unless you're Dean Koontz, apparently, in this pep talk for NaNo that all editors should read (and I use "should" very sparingly):
https://nanowrimo.org/pep-talks/dean-koontz
Note to my editor: Just as I like to be praised when I finally "get it", I'll praise my editor, who I'm sure is reading this blog. Editor, you're getting it. I don't remember calling you names, and if I did, I'm sorry.
Note to authors: This is the reason you don't write the nasty note to your editor when your ire is up. Rant about your feelings and not about your editor. Keep those sadistic fantasies to yourself. Then take a deep breath, and if your editor doesn't redeem himself, fire him.
*******
Back to NaNo. I wrote about 2500 words yesterday, but I'll eventually catch up. I'm actually ahead of schedule -- at the last checkin, I would be done by November 17th. I won't be putting in the detail requested above in this story, because it's not time yet. Now is the time to lay in the skeleton.
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