I'm writing a book, and I find that subjection to an editor gives me an appreciation for the woman's point of view in the relations between the sexes:
- The writer needs attention from others--like editors, who can accept or reject his project as they wish. So he's always worrying about how he's being received.
- The editor is basically a practically-minded guy who just wants to get a job done in a way that makes some kind of sense. His demands aren't nearly so elaborate or idiosyncratic as the writer's. In fact, they mostly aren't really demands.
- As a result, the editor thinks the writer is necessary and probably has a lot to offer, but is terminally vain, basically somewhat insane, and likely to explode or get weird at unpredictable intervals for no obvious reason. So he avoids plain speaking, slathers on the soft soap, and hopes for the best.
- The writer, for his part, welcomes the flattery--it certainly shows something, and it would be horrible to do without it--but also finds it somewhat annoying. It's too transparent. He also gets the uncomfortable impression that the editor doesn't understand and basically just doesn't care. Boo hoo.