CONTENTS
|
Editing for Psychoanalysis Eve Golden, M.D. |
WHY AN EDITOR? Because you've got half-written papers cluttering up your desk, preying on your mind, and ruining your weekends. And your colleagues are interested in what you have to say.
-
Journal submissions returned for revision
-
Reports on national meetings for the local newsletter
-
Notes for chapters you haven’t had time to write
-
Half-completed drafts
-
Papers needing final polish
An editor who knows your subject can turn such liabilities into assets. Prepare your ideas for publication and let your voice be heard.
WHY A SUBJECT SPECIALIST?
Psychoanalysis is a field that really tests a writer's skill. It is conceptually complex, with an intricate but concrete practice and an abstract and multilayered theory. The subtleties of the clinical situation demand one expository approach, the rigors of metapsychology another. A subject specialist can appreciate these difficulties, work with them comfortably, and help you handle them clearly and gracefully in your writing.The more your editor knows about your subject, the more she can help you bring your work to publishable form. She will be able to spot inadvertent ambiguities, recognize where arguments need strengthening, and catch potential misunderstandings. She can help you bring vague ideas into focus, outline a new paper, or develop a manuscript from notes or from scratch. She can fill in the gaps in a piece, and when it’s appropriate (sometimes it is!), help you write it. She can tailor a manuscript to an audience, teach newbies the conventions and process of first-rate scholarly writing, and handle the style requirements of specialized journals for the experts. She may be willing to lend her services as a researcher. She will be familiar with the published literature, and aware of theoretical trends and controversies. She will know when tact is the better part of valor, and when you can let it all hang out. As a bonus, she will work to increase your confidence—and your skill—as an independent writer of exemplary scholarly prose.
Imagine having to explain all the vicissitudes of drive theory or the implications of one- versus two-person psychologies before your editor can help you clarify your argument. Now imagine not having to. That’s why a subject specialist.
Please see My Work, FAQs, and Practical Stuff for more information.
