Being based in Sydney again I am happy to be able to attend client events in person — such as the Sydney launch this week of Anna Bligh’s important memoir, Through the Wall, at HarperCollins HQ.
L-R: Virginia Lloyd, Anna Bligh and Anne Summers at the launch of Through the Wall
I was Anna’s development editor. What that means is that HarperCollins engaged me to help her take the book from a great idea to a finished manuscript. I worked alongside Anna as she honed an outline and drafted chapters, and provided editorial feedback on those chapters and the shape of the work as a whole as it evolved, in consultation with Anna’s publisher, Catherine Milne.
At the launch it was gratifying to hear Anna say that I helped her “find her voice”. Through the Wall is not a political memoir.The subtitle explains it best: “Reflections on leadership, love and survival”. It’s an honest personal insight into public life and the highs and lows of leadership, as well as a gripping account of Anna’s successful battle with cancer in 2013.
A book of memoir is very difficult to write — even if, as Anna said at the launch, she “already knew the plot”. But a good memoir is not solely plot-dependent. In asking oneself what is the best way to bring that known plot to life on the page, the writing demands so much of the author emotionally as well as imaginatively. It demands emotional vulnerability and critical distance at the same time.
I see my development work with authors as a tradesperson might see their toolkit: multiple tools are necessary, each with a specific purpose. My tools range from the copyeditor’s forensic attention to each word, to the diplomatic coaxing required to encourage an author to revisit or address aspects of their story that may be undeveloped in the early drafts. Tough editorial love – cutting out redundant material and moving sections around – is also essential to the task. Developing and maintaining trust between author and editor is critical to a successful collaboration.
Here I am crouching beside the author and another eminent Australian and author, Anne Summers. This photo is particularly significant for me because it was Anne who generously launched my own book several years ago.
