• More More

Search

My Account Logout
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • other
  • NEWS + FEATURES
  • VIDEO
  • FILMS
  • SERIES
  • INTERACTIVE
  • COMMUNITY
  • DATABANK
  • DISNEY+
  • More More
My Account Logout
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • other

ALL OF YOUR STAR WARS FAVORITES NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Books + Comics
  • Characters + Histories
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Disney+
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • Films
  • Force For Change
  • Forces of Destiny
  • Galaxy of Adventures
  • Games + Apps
  • ILMxLAB
  • In Pop Culture
  • Interviews
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Merchandise
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Opinions
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Rogue One
  • Solo
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • Star Wars Day
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Star Wars Resistance
  • Television
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Clone Wars
  • The Force Awakens
  • The High Republic
  • The Last Jedi
  • The Mandalorian
  • The Rise of Skywalker
  • The Star Wars Show
  • Visions
{:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

Balancing the Force as a Star Wars Book Editor and Fangirl

February 28, 2013
February 28, 2013
Jennifer Heddle

jen

It’s no secret that I was a lifelong Star Wars fan before I ever took this job; after all, it’s why I took this job. And sometimes that can be a tough line to tread. I have to balance Professional Jen with Fangirl Jen. This struggle can manifest itself in silly ways, like the longing glances I aim at the product display room near my office, or the self-consciousness I sometimes feel when wearing one of my many Princess Leia t-shirts at work, or the fact that the rest of the publishing department knows I will automatically favor any proposed magazine cover with Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan on it. And to be fair, it’s easier when it comes to, say, packaging and marketing (the cover of a book, the ads for a comic), which have certain commercial criteria they need to fulfill. The most nebulous, yet arguably most critical part of my job in which I need to maintain the balance between Professional Jen and Fangirl Jen is the editing process.

For the most part it’s not even really an issue; story ideas are often generated by the publishers or authors, and as long as what they’re proposing feels consistent with the Star Wars brand and seems to be a story people will like, it generally gets a thumbs up. No soul-searching required on my part. Things get a bit trickier when it comes to the details.

If I think a pre-established character from the movies is doing or saying something “out of character” in a story, I have to pause and assess what’s making me think that. Is my response based on the character as seen in the movies, or is the character just not behaving the way I want them to? Am I responding to the character as portrayed previously, or the character that has lived in my head for 30 years? (Those two things are not always identical.) If I don’t like something a character is doing, is it just because it’s not what I want them to be doing, as opposed to what the author intends?

If I have any doubts as to whether I’m projecting or not, I’ll run the material by another person -- usually Keeper of the Holocron Leland Chee, whose neutrality cannot be impeached. Happily, I don’t think he’s disagreed with me yet. Sometimes it’s also helpful to go back and re-watch certain scenes from the films, and not rely on how they play out in my mind’s eye.

I should stress that this doesn’t happen very often, and if it does, it’s usually something quite minor. The Star Wars brand has some of the best writers out there, writers who know the universe as well as, or better, than I do, and their enthusiasm is apparent in everything they do. We all just want to get it right.

The most important thing for me to remember is that these characters do not just belong to Fangirl Jen. Han, Luke, Leia, Darth Vader, Yoda -- these characters were released to the public over 30 years ago, and we all lay some sort of claim to them. My responsibility is to make sure that readers recognize them as the characters they love, too.

Star Wars Books editing star wars novels

Related Stories

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"} {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

    D-Squad Is Back! R2-D2’s All-Star Team Returns in New Marvel Miniseries

    June 1, 2023

    June 1, 2023

    Jun 1

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

    The Empire Lands on Endor in Marvel’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - The Empire #1 — Exclusive Preview

    May 31, 2023

    May 31, 2023

    May 31

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

    The Clone Wars Ignite in Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade — Exclusive First Excerpt

    May 18, 2023

    May 18, 2023

    May 18

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

    Iden Versio Finds Her Target in Marvel’s Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #34 — Exclusive Preview

    May 9, 2023

    May 9, 2023

    May 9

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

    From the Pages of Star Wars Insider: Celebrating 40 Years of Atari's Star Wars Arcade Game

    April 26, 2023

    April 26, 2023

    Apr 26

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

    Learn the Untold Story of Jabba’s Last Protocol Droid in Marvel’s Star Wars: Jabba’s Palace #1 - Exclusive Preview

    March 22, 2023

    March 22, 2023

    Mar 22

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"} {:title=>"Star Wars Celebration", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-celebration"}

    Holy Hutch! Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories Annual—Jaxxon 2023 Revealed

    March 16, 2023

    March 16, 2023

    Mar 16

  • {:title=>"Books + Comics", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/books-+-comics"}

    Celebrate Pride Month with Sana Starros and Other Marvel Star Wars Covers

    March 16, 2023

    March 16, 2023

    Mar 16

  • More From Star Wars:
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • SWKids
    • Terms of Use
    • Additional Content Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • Children's Online Privacy Policy
    • Your California Privacy Rights
    • Star Wars at shopDisney
    • Star Wars Helpdesk
    • Interest-Based Ads
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

    TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved