Editors, amongst many other tasks, are daily faced with the challenge of persuading or pressuring authors to write or finish books. When COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home orders went into effect and I found myself, in addition to being an editor, also suddenly a home-schooling teacher, little did I know that those skills might be transferable. As my seven-year-old鈥檚 first-grade teacher began sending us assignments, it became clear, much to my delight, that there would be a great deal of emphasis on writing. I had begun to realize this when earlier this year my son鈥檚 progress report indicated that his ability to 鈥減roduce clear and coherent writing鈥� appropriate to 鈥済enre鈥� had shown improvement鈥攁 worthy goal undoubtedly for any author, and one that few have mastered, let alone someone in the first grade.
As I took up the role of writing instructor and editor to my son, I encountered a familiar problem that editors often confront with their authors: resistance. Although the endless stream of words, words, words, that fill our screens daily and the piles and shelves of books around us seem to attest otherwise, there is no denying that writing is hard, at least for some (says the present author as he submitted this post several days after the promised deadline). My skills as an editor who encourages, nay nags, people to write books would be put to the test over the course of the next several weeks as I endeavored to instill in my latest author, my son, a desire to write. No easy task lay before me, and resistance was encountered at every turn, but persist I had to and persist I must.
The first assignment was in an area where some great twentieth-century writers began their careers: copywriting. My son had to describe a favorite thing, whether a movie, a place, a book, or鈥攂ingo!鈥攐ne of his toys, to get someone excited about it. My son could endlessly talk in minute detail about his various Hot Wheels sets. Ideas abounded for what he could write but getting them on the page was a challenge. We wrote down the ideas as we talked through them, but he still struggled to transform those fragments into the required three-sentence paragraphs. Distractions loomed, not least of which was the toy itself (not so unlike the devices we adults are expected to use for work while ignoring the bright lights that lay just a swipe and a click away). And whenever a sentence suggested itself based on my son鈥檚 verbal description, he always managed to opt for the least complicated and most Hemingway-esque laconic expression of it to commit to paper. This was either an instinctual act of wise self-editing or (more likely) a way to write less and still complete the assignment. A good lesson learned: writing is not just talking on paper.
This all probably sounds more charming than it often was in reality as I shuttled frantically between the kitchen table-cum-school desk and my own makeshift standing-desk assembled on top of our liquor cabinet. (Coincidence? Let鈥檚 just say I was prepared for five o鈥檆lock.)
The divided consciousness of my new daily life as editor and teacher did not exactly make me a paragon of patience. In fact, I am more than a bit embarrassed to say, quite the opposite was often the case. After setting my son on course, or so I thought, with a writing assignment, I would find him standing next to me approximately 1.25 seconds later with a contrived question, or a request for a snack, or I鈥檇 notice him on the floor doing anything but writing. The distraction goblins were hard at work. They know writing is hard, and this was their chance to shine. And even with years of experience in an industry where a contractual delivery date is more 鈥減enciled in鈥� than 鈥渃arved in stone,鈥� I nonetheless found myself losing my cool鈥攄espite having published a book on doing the opposite鈥攚hen my deadlines for my son the author were not met. Remember, Rob, you know this. Writing is hard. But still I was flummoxed by his resistance.
The next writing assignment hit home in two ways. Tasked with writing a fairy tale or myth and despite having read many such books, my son struggled to come up with characters for his own book. After a good deal more impatience on the part of his editor/teacher, he hit upon two. He would write a story about an 鈥渁ngry volcano鈥� always erupting until a 鈥渘ice cloud鈥� persuades him to calm down. Ouch. Write what you know, eh? Had he learned the meaning of 鈥渢hinly veiled鈥� already? Well, with a good deal more prodding and teeth-grinding 鈥減atience,鈥� we managed to flesh out those characters into a short book, complete with pictures, that captured the full story of the mountain/volcano who keeps erupting and his wise cloud friend who calms his rattled nerves. My son鈥檚 writing had revealed something to me, and it was not an easy lesson to acknowledge. But I had a lesson for him in turn.
As we took a walk after he finished his story, I told him his book had changed my life鈥攍iterally. I repeated this: Your story changed my life. It revealed to me that I didn鈥檛 want to be an erupting volcano and would strive to keep his tale in mind when the lava within was starting to become molten. Something YOU wrote changed my life, I emphasized. This seemed to surprise him a bit and a look of 鈥淩eally? I did that?鈥� appeared on his face. Yes, J.R., good books can do that. They can change lives and they can do that across genres鈥攆rom fiction to non-, from myths to monographs. Writing is hard, but it is a worthwhile pursuit. 快色直播 can make us wiser (insert shameless plug here); they can make us better citizens; they can make us more empathetic; they can make us more knowledgeable about life, fate, and the universe; they can perhaps even make us better fathers. 快色直播 may change someone else鈥檚 life or your own, but that it can change someone鈥檚 is definitely a change you can believe in. And that in the end may be the best lure we editors have in our tackle boxes for getting people to write (and finish!) their books.
As I repeated to my son over the next few days鈥�your book changed my life鈥攈e rolled his eyes at his embarrassingly overly proud papa and said 鈥淵es! You keep saying that!鈥� But here鈥檚 hoping that鈥檚 one message from this book publishing father that resonates with a future reader or writer.
So, keep calm and keep on writing. Happy Father鈥檚 Day!
Rob Tempio is the Publisher for Philosophy, Political Theory, and the Ancient World at 快色直播.