News-Record.com

Susan came to us in 1983 as a feature writer and quickly became one of our most accomplished stylists.

Of her thousands of stories, I have a favorite: In 1998, she wrote about the experience of having her first child, Abby. Before Abby was born, she gave voice to an angst that every prospective parent has felt: "Is love enough to make up for the things I lack?"

In 1996, Susan became a news editor, serving first in High Point and then in Greensboro. In 2003, we promoted her to Life editor.

"Susan's touch on my copy has a grace and care that is maternal," staff writer Mike Kernels said. "She fine-tunes a piece the way a seasoned mechanic squeezes a few more RPMs out of an engine. Rethink this word. This sentence. This paragraph. She's like Michael Myers from the 'Halloween' movies. She keeps coming back.

"An edit could stretch on for a day or so and, man, I used to want to strangle her. That stopped once I saw how they looked in print."

Of course, Mike could have self-preservation in mind; she's his boss. I wanted another perspective so I went to her husband, Herb Everett, who is also an editor here.

"She makes the effort to read through your work first," Herb said. "Then she asks you about the things she doesn't understand. She leads you to your answer, not hers. She pulls your words out of you so it's your style that comes through.

"Second, she listens. She hears what you say and if she doesn't understand, she keeps asking questions until the simple, plain truth comes out. But she wants to hear what you have to say and how you explain something and she helps you visualize how to translate that to your writing.

"Third, she has passion, and she knows how to tell a story. Part of that is her Southern roots. At night, our kids beg her to tell them about growing up with her family. There are times in the course of her stories when she will break down and cry. Part of it is that she seeks out good writing and writers and learns from them and knows how to take all that she's learned and give it to you."

He lists a few other reasons, having to do with patience and knowledge, but, as her husband, he sort of has to say those things.

So I went to the source. At first, Susan didn't want to answer, fearing she would come across as pompous. She's not pompous, so if she comes across that way, it's my poor writing. A person can't be pompous and a good editor at the same time. Good writers don't allow it.

Then, as a good editor -- and wife -- she suggested I trim Herb's comments. "As an editor, I'd say, 'pick his strongest quote, then let somebody else talk.'"

Finally, I got her take on editing.

"A good editor asks more than she tells, listens more than she talks, respects the work of the writer, and never forgets her responsibility to the reader.

"But here's the other component: you can only help people if they let you. I've been extraordinarily privileged to work with some of the paper's best writers, people who not only accept but welcome the contributions an editor can make.

"I loved writing, and I loved seeing my stories in the paper. But the rewards of editing can be much more profound. When you do it right, you're investing in a person, not just a series of stories. And that's a legacy that can go on well beyond the next day's paper."

See why I want to bottle that? I could make millions.