So who is the second person?

When you sit down to write there is just you - one person. (Well, I suppose there's also the cast of characters you've created for the purposes of your story, but you know that they're not real - right?)


You write your book. It's awesome, it's ace and it's everything you wanted it to be. You send it off and via the route of agent/slush pile/a friend of a friend with a discerning eye, you land a publishing deal. And an editor.


Now you're gonna have to share your world with someone else. Another deity who can smite characters from the story with the flick of a pen, alter the plot so that happy ending is even harder won and change the way you spell 'alright' (all right?).


So now there's a second person involved. Someone like me.