other people's food/writing

I spent the day in front of a computer screen in a small room at a local magazine editing other people's writing. It's fine, except that I like better access to sunshine and being in the room where the microwave, fridge, and toaster oven all live can mean I'm at the mercy of other people's food. Being a vegetarian doesn't help the sitch. As the prideful calendar guy's homemade fried chicken warmed in the oven, I felt the aroma penetrating my skin. The girl in art had spaghetti, someone else a pot pie.

Anyhoo, it was a productive day. It always is. I just edit story after story for 8 hours. I think I edited five today. I've never formally met most of the writers, but I really enjoy their voices and can feel that I have met them. Some are such a joy to edit, the turn of phrase they use seems so natural to them that they might have dictated the article whole. I think about how I feel when I know that a piece of mine is being edited and try to be as diplomatic, careful, and thorough as possible. The reaction I get when I have a question has always been one of, "Well, I hadn't thought about doing it that way," or "That makes it better," or "I was having trouble there." Or, "thanks, but I think we should keep it 'cause I meant ... " Raymond Carver's editor says he made Raymond the writer he was, that he could lay claim to much of the content of his stories. I wouldn't bet one way or the other without knowing more, but I do know that writers and editors build a piece together and nothing would be worth reading without the relationship.