Editor's Blog: Stephanie Cooper on Editing 'GJ 526 1-A' by Dave Wakely
I remember reading “GJ 526 1-A” and hanging on the last few lines, blinking back tears. Beautiful, I thought—I still think. He has this natural honesty in the way he writes, the way he brings out the human in his characters. There was a certain warmth in the way questioned what “family” really means, explored the self-denial of passion through his main character, Adam. I knew his story had to be in MIR10. When asked which writers I’d like to take on for content editing, Dave’s was the first name I requested.
I admit I was a bit nervous. I felt a connection with the piece and his characters, but I’d never done content editing before. Sure, I had years of classroom workshop experience, but this was the first time I went face-to-face with the writer on such a personal level. The process was intimate. My nerves faded, though, when I met him to talk about his work. Dave was endlessly patient and as the story was polished I grew very proud of the work we did. I couldn’t have asked for a more painless first editorial experience.