--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes a good editor is staying the…" description: "\"What makes a good editor is staying the hell out of the way as much as possible. ... If you're a DC or Marvel or Dark Horse or BOOM! editor who's assig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/mark-waid-3704_creative_what-makes-a-good-editor-is-staying-the_2268249.jpg" --- # What makes a good editor is staying the hell out of the… ![“What makes a good editor is staying the hell out of the way as much as possible. ... If you're a DC or Marvel or Dark Horse or BOOM! editor who's assigning work, then if you did your job properly to begin with, then the people you've hired can be trusted to do what they do without excessive…” quote by Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/mark-waid-3704_creative_what-makes-a-good-editor-is-staying-the_2268249.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/mark-waid-3704_creative_what-makes-a-good-editor-is-staying-the_2268249.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/258/mark-waid-3704_creative_what-makes-a-good-editor-is-staying-the_2268249.jpg) > “What makes a good editor is staying the hell out of the way as much as possible. ... If you're a DC or Marvel or Dark Horse or BOOM! editor who's assigning work, then if you did your job properly to begin with, then the people you've hired can be trusted to do what they do without excessive meddling. The ideal situation you're shooting for as an editor is to groom a collaborative creative team to the point where their work sails effortlessly through production and the most you have to do is fix the spelling and the commas.” [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An editor should trust creators, intervene minimally, and focus on polishing rather than controlling the work. **In simple terms:** Editors should step back and let creators do their job. Key Takeaway Trust creators and polish only. Themes editing collaboration trust creative control Mood professional balanced Type advice industry. When to use this quote - Comic book production - team management - manuscript polishing - deadline handling Key Concepts Editorial philosophy creative autonomy workflow efficiency Questions to Reflect On - How much control is too much? - When should an editor intervene? A Different Perspective Over‑editing can stifle creativity and delay schedules. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-horse/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [By coincidence and not design, 'Everstar' is written and drawn by an all-female creative team, and it makes me smile to think that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/by-coincidence-and-not-design-everstar-is-written-and-drawn-by-an-all/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [The main thing is that you have a good editor - one that believes in you and who will give you the feedback that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-darden/the-main-thing-is-that-you-have-a-good-editor-one-that-believes-in/) [Christopher Darden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-darden/) > [Eisenstein was a good editor. I was trained as a film editor, and I've no doubt that the editor is key to a film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-greenaway/eisenstein-was-a-good-editor-i-was-trained-as-a-film-editor-and-i-ve/) [Peter Greenaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-greenaway/) > [A good editor is one of the sharpest tools a writer can have in her toolbox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/a-good-editor-is-one-of-the-sharpest-tools-a-writer-can-have-in-her/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“A good editor can make a respectable writer remarkable, just like a good parent helps a child become amazing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-alcala/a-good-editor-can-make-a-respectable-writer-remarkable-just-like-a/) [Justin Alcala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-alcala/) > [If a good editor will let me tell my story with the right artist, I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/if-a-good-editor-will-let-me-tell-my-story-with-the-right-artist-i-m/) [Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [Praise or damn as you please, but do so rather flatly, pragmatically, with cunning attention to annoying or gratifying details. Be yourself. Be unique.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/praise-or-damn-as-you-please-but-do-so-rather-flatly-pragmatically/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [It was trying to make my tennis game look mildly respectable, which I found you don't even really need to practice if you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/it-was-trying-to-make-my-tennis-game-look-mildly-respectable-which-i/) [Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/) > [Truth is, every writer has to be a good editor, and you have to edit yourself. It's a skill every writer has to acquire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scottoline/truth-is-every-writer-has-to-be-a-good-editor-and-you-have-to-edit/) [Lisa Scottoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scottoline/) > [A good editor understands what you're talking and writing about and doesn't meddle too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/a-good-editor-understands-what-you-re-talking-and-writing-about-and/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [The smartest thing a filmmaker can do is to become a good editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/the-smartest-thing-a-filmmaker-can-do-is-to-become-a-good-editor/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [“All of us who write need a good editor. - Sharon Langevin Crawford”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-langevin-crawford/all-of-us-who-write-need-a-good-editor-sharon-langevin-crawford/) Sharon Langevin Crawford > [“It's very difficult to train a good editor," the author said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-edward-simone/it-s-very-difficult-to-train-a-good-editor-the-author-said/) [Val Edward Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-edward-simone/) > [Ulysses could have done with a good editor. You know people are always putting Ulysses in the top 10 books ever written but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/ulysses-could-have-done-with-a-good-editor-you-know-people-are-always/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [I tend to overwrite; I need a good editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-blitzer/i-tend-to-overwrite-i-need-a-good-editor/) [Wolf Blitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-blitzer/) ## More by Mark Waid > [The nice thing about working with BOOM! on 'Irredeemable' and 'Incorruptible,' man, was they let me have my head. No one said boo about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/the-nice-thing-about-working-with-boom-on-irredeemable-and/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Captain America is an interesting character because it makes you ask those questions in yourself as a writer. What do we want as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/captain-america-is-an-interesting-character-because-it-makes-you-ask/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I'm a big believer that if you buy a comic, you ought to own it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-m-a-big-believer-that-if-you-buy-a-comic-you-ought-to-own-it/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Real science is the greatest, most exciting springboard I have available to me as a writer, and I don't feel the least bit constrained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/real-science-is-the-greatest-most-exciting-springboard-i-have/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [To my mind, a mix of veterans and rookies is number one on the list of 'things that make a good Avengers team.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/to-my-mind-a-mix-of-veterans-and-rookies-is-number-one-on-the-list-of/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I respect people of faith, but I'm not one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-respect-people-of-faith-but-i-m-not-one/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [There have been many days when I have had to work up to writing 'Irredeemable' because I just didn't feel like wallowing in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/there-have-been-many-days-when-i-have-had-to-work-up-to-writing/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I love writing comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-love-writing-comedy/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Artists are not helper monkeys; they’re not in it to visualize 'your' story, because it stopped being 'your' story the moment you engaged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/artists-are-not-helper-monkeys-they-re-not-in-it-to-visualize-your/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Serial fiction is a conceit of comic books and soap operas. As one goes, so goes the other in terms of public consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/serial-fiction-is-a-conceit-of-comic-books-and-soap-operas-as-one/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [In a 22-page comic, figuring an average of four to five panels a page and a couple of full-page shots, a writer has maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/in-a-22-page-comic-figuring-an-average-of-four-to-five-panels-a-page/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [You're a superhero. Shut up and enjoy having superpowers. This makes me crazy. This is why the Marvel movies kick DC movies' asses right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/you-re-a-superhero-shut-up-and-enjoy-having-superpowers-this-makes-me/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [I knew I really wanted to work in comics in 1979.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/i-knew-i-really-wanted-to-work-in-comics-in-1979/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [If you go back and look at the first issue of 'Indestructible Hulk,' if you have a sharp eye, you'll catch something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/if-you-go-back-and-look-at-the-first-issue-of-indestructible-hulk-if/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) > [Teaching is good for me. It forces me to articulate ways of doing things or rules of thumb that I've sort of taken for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-waid/teaching-is-good-for-me-it-forces-me-to-articulate-ways-of-doing/) [Mark Waid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) [Explore all 124 Mark Waid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-waid/) ## More Creative quotes > [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/) [Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/) > [When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-linn/when-you-re-being-truly-creative-time-stands-still-and-you-enter-a/) [Denise Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-linn/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Money is only used for two things. One, it's to make you comfortable, and the more comfortable you are the more creative you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/money-is-only-used-for-two-things-one-it-s-to-make-you-comfortable/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [The creative strength is good enough and deep enough to bring itself to flower and to grow in spite of this sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-greenberg/the-creative-strength-is-good-enough-and-deep-enough-to-bring-itself/) [Joanne Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-greenberg/) > [Anytime I get the chance to sing or work with Michael John, it is such an incredibly fertile and incredibly creative and safe and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audra-mcdonald/anytime-i-get-the-chance-to-sing-or-work-with-michael-john-it-is-such/) [Audra McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audra-mcdonald/) > [What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shankar/what-sri-chinmoy-does-is-god-given-he-has-a-tremendous-a-fantastic/) [Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shankar/) > [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [when times are tough, the weak bail and the tough get creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/when-times-are-tough-the-weak-bail-and-the-tough-get-creative/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [Teasing out the way the world might look through another's eyes is what makes the creative process so fascinating and enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/teasing-out-the-way-the-world-might-look-through-another-s-eyes-is/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [The creation lives as genesis beneath the visible surface of the work. All intelligent people see this after the fact, but only the creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-creation-lives-as-genesis-beneath-the-visible-surface-of-the-work/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) [Browse all 7,284 Creative quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What makes a good editor is staying the hell out of the way as much as possible. ... If you're a DC or Marvel or Dark Horse or BOOM! editor who's assigning work, then if you did your job properly to begin with, then the people you've hired can be trusted to do what they do without excessive meddling. 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