On Learning to Enjoy the Ethical Round of Edits

By Brook McClurg

A perennial consideration for nonfiction authors is the thorny issue of what it means to write about the other people who populate our works. We must consider the ways in which telling our story might necessarily include a cast of characters that, without conscious effort, would have no agency in their portrayal on the page. Earlier this year, as my book headed toward publication, the problem moved from academic concern to pragmatic consideration.

I have long had two, d...