Tighter Writing and What I Didn't Learn in College

I wish I could say that I learned how to edit and write tighter fiction in college, but it didn't happen that way. I'm not complaining. I went to a great college and had some excellent professors who taught me many valuable things about writing. But I learned more about real editing from good editors in publishing houses than I ever learned from unpublished English professors. I've also learned a lot from reading authors like Anne Tyler.

The most important thing I learned is this is all...