Blog post – the editing process at TPub
As with all our posts, this is how we do things, and we hope
it serves as inspiration rather than instruction.
The importance of
editing
I have always thought that editing is a bit like
housekeeping – no one notices it unless it is done badly. For example if I see bad editing in film or
TV (someone is carrying a handbag on one shoulder and suddenly it is on the
other shoulder), it immediately takes me out of the story and ruins the
experience. Good editing can really elevate a script to something special and I love
doing it.
Editing a good script is one of the best aspects of my job
even though I experience such joy and frustration in equal measures. In a later
post I will explain why I like it and what the incredible frustrations are, but
for now, I'm just going to describe the process.
The Process
The end result we're after is the best comic possible, and that always
starts with the story. It begins by
listening to the writer’s vision and what story he/she wants to tell. If we
like it, we ask for a script.
Once we have the script there will usually be
discussions about how to tweak the story to improve it. Luckily there is always a way to solve issues as long as the parties are working honestly towards the best solution.
The editor will never love 100% of everything a writer
writes. Similarly, a writer will never love all the edits from the editor. But
if you work well together, there will always be an overlap. I remember something George R R Martin said:
“A
good editor does work with his writers on their books. But only if the books
need work. A good editor tries to figure out what the writer was trying to do,
and helps him or her do it better, rather than trying to change the book into
something else entirely. A good editor doesn’t insist, or make changes without
permission. Ultimately a writer lives or dies by his words, and he must always
have the last word if his work is to retain its integrity.”
George R R Martin, 1979
It is a collaborative process and sometimes the edits are
easily agreed and sometimes there is a little fighting, but there is always a way
to get to the middle zone WHERE BOTH PARTIES ARE HAPPY. The editing process
really is like coaching to push the creator to deliver better work. It may take
time but as long as we never to publish material we are not proud of, we get
there.
Once the script is settled, it goes to the artist. This is
just an expansion of the Venn Diagram. This step is much easier for me than the script stage. I
rarely have to spend time discussing options with
artists, probably because they tend to be much stronger in visual narrative
than me. My most
common edit is to redraw certain panels so the character’s emotions are clear
or the flow of the story improves.
There are similar steps with colouring and lettering and
finally the layouts, but the work really is front loaded as you can see from
this chart:
In summary, I view editing as an invaluable step in the
process because it serves to strengthen the final product. It’s like having a friendly
set of eyes to view your work and help make it the best it can be. And when you are
working with a talented team, having fun making great comics and knowing
that you are contributing to a better product, well, I think it’s one of the
best jobs in the world.
Note: Sorry Dan, I overran my word count by 50 words. Worth
it.
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