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Christopher Paul Curtis and Wendy Lamb
WENDY LAMB:
The letter from the CBC inviting Christopher and me to participate in this online project said "many people do not fully understand the working relationship that exists between authors and editors." Ha! I'll bet that many authors and editors do not fully understand this relationship either. It's so unpredictable, and varies tremendously from one writer to another. And I imagine that other editors see their role quite differently from the way I'm about to describe it. This is just my take on it.
In the most basic sense, my "editor's role" has two main steps:
- To try to grasp the writer's vision and see how I can support it. I must understand what universe the author wants to create, and help him or her to do that by offering suggestions and line editing to clarify and strengthen the plot, language, characterization, narrative momentum, and the overall voice.
- To try to read from the point of view of the age group the book is intended for, and to let the author know where I am distracted, bored, confused, or where I don't believe in the world of the story. Ideally, the reader should never have an opportunity to doubt or to turn away from the story.
Christopher may remember our process on his first book in another way, but as I recall it, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 came in after he'd written several drafts, and the editing was pretty straightforward, with some rethinking of the story, but mostly fine-tuning, clarification, line editing, small shifts and changes.
We have only done two books together. So far the process is characterized by four elements:
Fun.
Surprise—I expected BUD to be about a strike, but the manuscript that arrived was very different. Right now, I'm waiting to see Chris's first draft of his next book, a young adult novel called BUCKING THE SARGE. Will it be tougher, wilder, funnier, riskier, darker, more sexual than Chris's younger books? I have no idea.
Independence—I offer ideas and suggestions, many of which he rejects or disagrees with. Eliminating and reacting against editorial suggestions can help an author see what is the right choice. Christopher definitely has an idea of what he is trying to do; he goes his own way.
Compromise—We try.
I talked about editing Bud, Not Buddy in the profile on Christopher in the July-August 2000 The Horn Book, which accompanied his
Newbery speech:
Working with Christopher means I laugh a lot—I have to, when we're having yet another discussion of how many times Bud should
mention snot, boogers, and 'vomick.'
Christopher's second novel was going to be about the sit-down strike of 1937 in Flint. In the first draft of Bud, Not Buddy Bud had a glimpse
of tanks and strikers in the street, but that story will have to wait for another book; in this one, the strike boiled down to the box of flyers in Lefty's car. Bud had amazing adventures
that also wait for other books, as do some terrific characters. Stories leak out of Christopher like laughter, also with hilarious asides, dialogue, and wonderful details. Most of
the editorial process (i.e., struggle) is about trying to control these elements so that the story doesn't lose momentum or tension.
I was also concerned that it is a picaresque novel where the hero meets many characters on his journey, and some fall by the wayside
as the story progresses. Since the reader already had a lot to handle—getting to know Bud, following his adventures, absorbing rich language and humor while learning about the
Depression—Christopher and I wanted to make sure there weren't too many incidents with characters who did not play a significant role in Bud's story.
Now, on to Bucking the Sarge. Some predictions: Family will play an important role. It will make me laugh and cry. It will have vivid,
memorable characters and an appealing hero. Working with Christopher will often be hilarious. Above all, I'll be surprised.
CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS:
I believe the ideal relationship between an author and an editor is very similar to the ideal relationship between a student and an English teacher.
Sure, like most students have, I've fed my editor the usual fantastic excuses for a late "assignment" ("My daughter ate the disc" is the one I'm polishing up for Bucking The Sarge), but it goes beyond
that. It goes right to the very important matters of trust and respect.
Much as a wise student pays more than cursory attention to the suggestions his or her English teacher makes, I, as a writer, feel I must take any
suggestions that Wendy makes very seriously. This isn't merely because she's much more experienced (aside to you, Wendy, yeah, that's right, this translates to, "someone a hell of a lot older!!!") (WL: (I am exactly
14 months older than Mr. Curtis); it's also because every writer needs a second pair of dispassionate eyes to look at his or her writing and find where things fall apart or appear to be falling apart. Who better
than someone in whom you have developed trust, that someone whose motives for making a particular suggestion go no further than to improve the story? That is where Wendy and I start.
That trust and respect make the points Wendy brings up about independence and compromise very easy to deal with. I think by its very nature the
relationship between author and editor can be extremely contentious. Most "creative" people do not like having their vision tampered with. Probably the only way the relationship can work is if that trust and
respect have been developed and earned from, and by, each person.
I think most writers feel particularly vulnerable when submitting a manuscript for the first time; it's almost as if you're sending a child off to
start kindergarten. You're worried sick about what the world has in store for your baby. If, however, you know into whose hands you'll be entrusting your little one, be it manuscript or child, much of the
early tension and worry are eased. You're still a ball of nervous, overprotective, paranoid twitches, but you know that that teacher or editor is probably feeling the same worries, maybe not as deeply as a parent does (which is good, because the distance and objectivity are needed), but
at least as intensely as a teammate.
Bud, Not Buddy (Delacorte)
Newbery Medal Book
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Author-Editor Dialogues:
Rita Williams-Garcia & Rosemary Brosnan
Christopher Curtis & Wendy Lamb
Kevin Henkes & Susan Hirschman
Katherine Paterson & Virginia Buckley
Karen Cushman & Dinah Stevenson
Tracy Mack & Brian Selznick
Virginia Duncan & Naomi Shihab Nye
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