The Dr. Seuss Rules of Editing

I know that talking about Dr. Seuss can sometimes set off a few PC sensitivities these days, so I am not going to go into the social or political discussion of one Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. I am, however, going to bring up something about his writing that every author should appreciate to some degree. And, of course, if an author writes deep fiction, high fantasy, or does a lot of world creation, then it is all the more important to recognize the rules that are best discussed in the context of all the children's books written over the years.

Now, we all know Whoville, and the residents of whom are Whos (and have nothing to do with Doctor Who). They are weird little things, not quite human but very similar, though with snouts, big feet, and a hop in their step like kangaroos. Now, this is where the seed of Dr. Seuss editing comes in, and it's in the world-building phase of the story. The physical build of the average Who doesn't quite seem like it would work in the real world. Maybe Mother Nature had one too many, but it doesn't seem like a proper species in the technical sense. And yet, we go on with the enjoyment of the story regardless. Why? Because in the world of Whoville, we aren't concerned about Darwinian principles. We want to hear about the innocent adventures of the kind-hearted Whos - big feet, hoppy legs and all.

Speaking of those little Whos, Dr. Seuss used a pretty broad spectrum of adverbs and adjectives to describe their antics - a spectrum that went well outside of the boundaries of the English language. Think of all the toys and musical instruments described in the story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! I won't mention these odd things because I might get sued of something, but these wildly imaginative and entirely non-existent things with their equally senseless names would drive a story editor nuts. Let's take a random sentence - Junior bleamed with his flamshooter. Did I lose you? Good. As an editor, technically I see two words that make no sense. However, in the Dr. Seuss sense, all I need to know is that there is a character - Junior - who possesses a flamshooter, and he had bleamed with it at least once. As a reader, this writing intrigues me enough to know more, and look for where more context can explain this. However, I do not care about the details behind this verb or that noun - at least not for now. And if Junior is just a passing character who bleams on by, not impacting the story, then let him bleam - save the editing for the real subject matter.

Now, where Dr. Seuss's style of writing does need an editor is to make sure that if a lot of characters bleam in the story, that they bleam but don't bleem or bleme, and that basic rules of conjugation apply. Bleam isn't an actual word so there's no "right" way to spell it. However, there is a consistent way to use it that lets the reader fold it into their own private vocabulary. Editors are priceless in this regard, and world-builders should make sure their editors can pull out details like that.

So, in the end, what is Dr. Seuss editing? It is simply to worry about the story coming through effectively, and not fretting over whether the characters use proper grammar or the structure of some fictitious being is realistic. If you write hard-core sci-fi or fantasy, this editing style is not for you. However, if the importance is the heart and the voice of the story, then create the weird words, the odd creatures, and whatever satisfies your urge to fill in the story - but be consistent about them. Don't let rules get in the way of your creativity - just make sure that you keep your creative world on track.

That would be something to really bleam about.