In this week’s post, Mahima Bhagwat shares her perspective on how editors can help authors shape authentic narratives.
Q: You mention on your website that you’ve lived, studied and worked in multiple countries. In what ways does the perspective you’ve gained from that help you as an editor?
I’m Indian, and all of my teen years were spent around international migrants, mostly from North America, in Cambodia and the Philippines. It was a “developing” country folk meet “developed” country folk situation. Being in this environment forced me to adapt my South Asian mindset to a North American mindset very quickly. I’m sure I don’t need to list all the ways in which those differ, but now that all of the books I edit are written by authors residing in North America, I’m able to marry those differences, especially when the authors are also immigrants. I can help my authors’ words appeal to a wider audience, even if the book’s subject matter is very specific. I keep in mind that not everyone reading the same book has the same life experience as the author. For example, including words in Hindi with no translation but enough context clues that the reader can infer what they mean. This makes the book feel authentic to an Indian reading it, but not inaccessible to a non-Indian.
Holding three — or four, or five, depending on how you look at it — different worlds in my brain helps me ensure that my authors’ writing reflects life accurately. It comes down to authenticity reading and knowing first-hand how different people in different bits of the world experience life. “Immigrants” in North America aren’t all poor, ESL or POC. “Americans” aren’t all white, well-off or self-important.
Q: You work across a wide range of genres, from fantasy to memoir. Do you find that your multicultural worldview gives you different strengths depending on the genre you’re working in?
The short answer is no. I work across a range of genres because I find that, in the end, you’re still applying the same core editing principles no matter the book — restructure for better narrative flow, call out illogical or unlikely happenings, delete what’s unnecessary, feel out what’s missing, recommend transitions or plot points to add. For me, it’s 70%–80% about the reader. With memoirs, the readers experience the memoir as a story, even if it is about someone they might personally know, so authenticity and clarity are important; you have to be very gentle with an author when communicating this or pointing out missing elements in the story of their life.
Q: What do you think are the most important things editors should focus on to help authors tell a story that feels authentic?
Editors should become superbly familiar with the genres that they specialize in, as well as the audiences’ expectations for those genres. However, probably more important than these is to focus on becoming aware of the different cultures, identities, environments, realities, professions, traumas, challenges, advantages and disadvantages that people across the world interact with.
Obviously, it’s impossible to know everything about everything, and every editor has blind spots. But the more you become aware of what you’re not aware of, the better you’ll be able to call it out to your clients and guide them towards further research or an editor who can more effectively help them. For me, developing strong emotional intelligence and a larger capacity for empathy has helped immensely in approaching character development and ensuring characters’ actions feel believable.
Q: Is there something you wish first-time authors knew before working with an editor?
There are so many things I wish first-time authors knew! Pricing has been on my mind quite a bit in the past year, so, from an editor’s perspective, I’d say I wish first-time authors understood why good editing doesn’t come cheap. Also, how to apply heading styles in Word to their manuscript.
Q: Do you have any last words or advice you want to share with our readers?
Read The Truth by Terry Pratchett!
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Mahima Bhagwat
Mahima is the owner of Angler Editing and a structural and stylistic editor for authors of all kinds of narratives, be it fantasy, horror, memoir, informational, or personal development content. She loves helping creators hone their storytelling skills and shape their stories, and through edits, and some coaching, teaches them how to go deeper with their content to better connect with their audience.