An Interview with Heather Romanowski

EGP: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What do you do and how did you get started? 

HR: My career journey started with a love to read and a voracious appetite for books. I grew up immersed in different genres and worlds which helped build my “narrative sense.” The intuition that I lean into when I am worldbuilding. 

I started out with copyediting and branched out into developmental and line editing. Naturally, those skills and services transitioned into my passion for worldbuilding and lore. 

Worldbuilding starts with the core concepts of your story. It can be characters, history, or a lesson. The important part is it is canon and unchangeable. Every part of the story can change and adapt because of the core but in the end it all leads back to it. An example is the Big Bang where the expansion of the universe came from a “single event,” but we continue to grow, change, and flow several billion years after it occurred. 

EGP: What is your role as a collaborator and how does that differ from your work at other publishers or with author clients? 
 
HR: As a collaborator I am where Athena and Elder Glade needs me to be. I could be writing one day or editing a blog post the next. I sit in on the production meetings, take notes for the editorial team or bring notes from other sectors into the meeting for consideration. All of what I do focuses on the stories that Elder Glade will tell through the various entertainment mediums (books, TV, movies, graphic novels, video games, etc.). 
 
As a worldbuilder I collaborate with Elder Glade on the story aspects and help keep the core of the stories intact through the adaptation process. This way fans will recognize the stories being told no matter where they appear and be able to enjoy them all. 
 
EGP: What is the most important part of a developmental edit on a manuscript? 
 
HR: Nailing the main structures of the story. A developmental edit is the first round of revisions: it is focused on the structure, plot, genre expectations, flow, point of view, and characterization. Your story can bend genre expectations (one of my favorites to work on) but it cannot completely break it. An example is a romance, if it doesn’t end with a form of “happily ever after” and it is a standalone then it is not a romance book. You will anger a lot of romance readers if they pick it up. Consider that false advertising. 
 
Once the main structure (or core) of the story is hammered into shape then the focus can move to line edits and copyediting. 
 
EGP: What is worldbuilding like outside of working on the book itself? What makes you passionate about the worldbuilding process?  
 
HR: Worldbuilding is like playing with Legos. I have a whole bunch of pieces and I get to make whatever the story needs out of them. Eventually I step back and see the city, town, or galaxy that was built on all the writing, editing, and brainstorming sessions. Athena is one of the first people who sees story potential the same way I do. I see a dahlia flower and she sees the many-petaled lotus. All plot threads/characters/events are the petals that link back to the flower/story’s core or center. Mess with the core and the story will fall apart, maintain the core and the story will bloom. 
 
Worldbuilding can be done solo, but I love doing it as part of a team. The brainstorming sessions that bloom into a wild vibrant garden because of one or many conversations are more fruitful than alone. I get to hear from one or more people’s perspective and experiences that help shape what the fans eventually see on a page or screen. The best part is seeing the reaction of the audience and hearing all the theories and “ships” that arise out of each story. If I can, I pay attention and see if I can link them into the story (but only if it serves the story). 
 
EGP: What is your favorite part of the collaboration process and what holds back an excellent collaboration relationship? 
 
HR: I love the conversations that flow during a brainstorming/collaboration session. It is even better if dinner or tea is involved. The “petals” of the story are so much stronger typically at the end of the session because there are at least two brains working together. The more diverse the people contributing, the better the session and story will be. 
 
What holds back a good collaborative relationship is a lack of honesty and respect. A good session comes from a place where all the contributors know they can be 100% honest in their feedback and know they are respected even if they disagree. A story is not served if there are any reservations from a team member or if it is an echo chamber. 
 
EGP: What book or series not already in adaptation that you wish you could see on the screen? 
 
HR: I would love to see anything by Nalini Singh or Ilona Andrews make it to the screen someday. They both have such wild and wonderful worlds, stories, and characters that would be amazing to see in a TV show. Also, as of this posting I want to see Shadow & Bone with the full cast and crew picked up by another network and FINISHED. The worst part of the adaptation process is when they are wonderful and then the adaptation is cancelled before the story has been completed within that medium. The fans are left with a partial story like Firefly. Most of the time the fans don’t get a movie like Serenity that attempts to tie up loose plot threads. 
 
EGP: Any advice or tips for editors or writers who want to work on worldbuilding? 
 
HR: The first part is deciding what type of story you LOVE to read and want to create. Sci-fi and fantasy are my jams, but I will toss in a little horror, thriller, and mystery to spice up the story for my readers (but only when it makes sense). 
 
Then you need to read the genre widely with good authors and mediocre authors. Read the writing craft books associated with that genre as well. As you read, take notes on what is done well and what is not. What makes you laugh and cry? What makes your heartbeat faster? What makes it a “good, bad or okay” book? That knowledge will help you understand how to revise and build a delightful book with your clients or to write one yourself.  
 
If you are a planner, start figuring out the core of your story. The pieces that make it yours and what cannot change then extrapolate from there. If you are a pantser, write your first draft and figure out the core at the end of that draft. 
 The biggest part is to have fun, if you are not enjoying the genre you chose, then switch it. Don’t get stuck in a rut and feel obligated to work on something that does not bring you joy. 
 
EGP: Thank you, Heather!

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Heather Romanowski / Production Assistant

Heather works with publishers like Wizards of the Coast, Elder Glade Publishing, and Manuscripts as well as independent authors and businesses. She edited Hugo Award nominee, Seanan McGuire, for Tangles in the short story category.

When Heather is not reading or editing, she is playing games or gardening. She also dabbles in journaling, yoga, rock climbing, mini-painting, and baking. When she can, she indulges her wanderlust and visits as many historical sites, museums, gardens, and local haunts as possible. 
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Heather lives in the Great Lakes State of Michigan where she is a coordinator for her chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association. She volunteers as Community Co-Coordinator for the Editors Tea Club and is a member of ACES: The Society of Editing. She lives with her husband and her dog. You can find more about Heather on her website and social media.