Today’s guest post is excerpted from How to Work With a Writer by editor Allegra Huston

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Many people who find themselves in an editorial role make the same mistake. They think they’re supposed to fix the book. They’ve identified the problems and they expend a lot of mental energy on coming up with solutions.

The classic version of this is the film development executive who tells you to put in a car chase (yes, it’s happened to me).

The story is sagging, the pace is dragging: you need some excitement! In this case, the car chase solution is like a sugar hit: a rush followed by dissatisfaction.

Far better to address the underlying story issues—but it’s hard to do that if a car chase, or some other plastered-on idea, is occupying the center of the discussion.

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