Our early conversations and the revisions Roald made had to do with the shape of the story, the major characters, how the story began, how it ended, and what was missing. One significant change involved two chapters about problems the hero had at school. They were good stories, but I didn’t think they belonged in this book. Roald disagreed, strongly, and we argued about it. That was not fun. Eventually he agreed and the two chapters disappeared, but not forever.
Stephen Roxburgh, president and publisher at Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers during the 1980s, on editing Roald Dahl’s The Witches. (Via @pintadoguy)