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Editors are like anything else, there are good ones and bad ones. And even the good ones can be a real pain to work for, they can come up with a lot of questions and edits. Without seeing the work it's impossible to know if their edits are legitimate or the work of someone on, as you put it, a power trip. Best approach is to work your way through and incorporate the edits and see if it improves the work.
New editors can be very hard to figure out. Is anyone else going through that, or is that hard to even know? I know I had the same experience at first, after a few months, they kind of backed off some. The biggest frustration for me, the notes never made sense. It was completely different from the guidelines we were given to work off of.
It's hard that with one editor you can't go wrong, but another editor will tell you to quit your job.
I've been in the news business for 25 years. Most editors I have worked with have attitudes. It's a bit of a stereotype in the biz, but it's best to not take them personally. Don't get rattled. If you get rattled it could cost you. I am speaking from experience with my first editor.
Editing attracts a lot of grouchy characters for whatever reason.
Shut up. (Kidding…)
So, to play devil’s advocate, I have a reporter (one out of my four direct reports) who requires a lot of this type of feedback from me. I can’t speak for your editor, but in my case, it’s because this reporter just genuinely needs that guidance. Her angles often miss the mark for our audience, I’m regularly having to adjust the flow of her copy to bring the news to the top, and her ledes need to be a bit more punchy/to the point. I like her and we have good rapport, but it’s my job to elevate her work by giving this kind of feedback. Does she always agree with me? No. And there was a learning curve between us because her prior editor really didn’t give her much direction. But, she has since recognized that her writing and reporting have improved under my direction.
I don’t know you or your editor, but generally speaking, try not to see getting direction or notes from an editor as being picked on. That’s part of the job.
But if you find that their feedback feels unclear or inconsistent, raise that with them. It’s perfectly fair to say, “it seems like I’m always doing something wrong and I can’t seem to figure out how to mitigate that, can we please talk through where I need to be improving?”
I don't know your situation, but consider that she might be trying to make you quit, and creating issues with your work is the most HR-friendly way of doing so.
I suggest speaking to other writers, if there are any, and asking what their experiences are with this editor. If they're the same, it may be worth discussing how she's acting toward the team with her boss. If not, it's about you, and that's a different conversation to have.
I have been in this business for decades, and had one editor who really enjoyed torturing people - especially women (the editor was a man). The job was too good to walk away, though several of my colleagues did. I have since outlasted him by more than 10 years - he eventually was demoted and pushed out for his attitude. Hopefully, that will happen with your boss, but in this economic climate, I wouldn't quit unless you have another job lined up or you don't need the money. This is a fight you are not going to win.
I have experienced that.
How old is she? I've found that those who are still relatively new to the career are often heavier with the red pen.
A long time back, I did a piece for a national magazine. It was a really strong piece, and I knew it. When I got it back from the editor—thery were new to the mag—it had been ripped apart and completely restructured. At the timme, I was a Contributing Editor to the mag, so I emailed the editor and told them to pull an "Alan Smithee" on the article, since I wanted no part whatsoever in the mess that had been made of it. She basically kiboshed the changes, and the piece ran as I'd intended. It was later picked up for inclusion in "Best Food Writing," a very prestigious anthology book published annually.
Just because they're in the editor chair doesn't mean they know squat. That said, I eventually met this editor, and liked him very much. But he was dead wrong, and if I had been a young writer, I could have been devastated by his edit.
That sounds exhausting. I’ve had an editor like that before, and it wore me down quickly. If the feedback stops being about the work and feels personal, it’s usually not a great sign. I’d document everything, give it some time, but keep options open.
I totally get it. I went from continually doing great work with my previous boss, to never being able to do anything without being picked apart...leading to my removal.