EVERYONE NEEDS AN EDITOR

Stolen, with permission, from FFW SMALL MARKETS, a weekly newsletter edited by Hope Clark.

Writer's Digest's 101 Best Websites for Writers
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

Editor: C. Hope Clark
Mailto: Hope@FundsforWriters.com
Web Site: www.fundsforwriters.com

The best best-selling authors sound like crap before an
editor gets his hands on the manuscript.

Well, maybe not crap, but the work is still rough - rough
enough for the publisher to want it touched up, chapters
rewritten, characters raised to a higher level or settings
clarified and sharper.

Two heads are better than one. In writing, three or four
are much better, assuming the readers know what they are
doing.

No writer should be exempt from editing - novice or expert.

The writing world is experiencing a huge deluge of novices.
Sure, everyone has to be a novice at some point. And before
the Internet and electronic communication, a lot of good
writers never had a chance to become known. So yes, the
deluge opens doors to more good writing. But it also
enables the inexperienced to jump on the train.

The path between newbie and journeyman (i.e., solid,
trained, reliable worker) is not just via experience and
hard effort. Feedback is needed; feedback from someone
with the skills to identify progress and quality.

Every writer needs one, two, or more people in his toolbox
who knows writing. If you are a serious writer, you know
how hard it can be to find a mentor, an editor. Most
writers skip this part of the development process, and I
think these are the reasons:

1. Fear of rejection. An experienced eye is going to rip
   up your inexperienced work product. Yes, and you want
   that. Without knowing what's wrong, you can't improve.

2. Self-esteem issues. Mothers, friends, siblings and
   writers on the same level as you will tell you more
   positive than negative, simply because they are
   more invested in you than the writing.

3. I'm-still-new syndrome. The amateur feels he has to
   become more of an intermediate-level writer before
   qualifying for a mentor. You  need feedback at every
   level. You'll never graduate from the need for mentors.
   As your skill level rises, so will your need for a
   different type editor. While you don't need someone
   to watch over your shoulder as you write each scene,
   you do need to know if your work is on target before
   submitting for publication.

4. I don't know anyone. If you cannot find a solid writing
   group, create one. Join professional writing groups and
   seek members willing to work together. Join online forums
   and listservs. The more you seek, the more chances are
   you'll find a niche that serves your needs.

5. Be willing to pay. If you respect your writing, you're
   willing to hire an editor before submitting a major
   project.

You never know where you stand until someone tells you
where you are. And usually that person is someone who has
walked this road before you.

    Hope Clark

Read FFW Small Markets online at:
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/smallmarkets.htm

Read archives at:
http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?ffwsmallmarkets

And, thank you, Hope, for allowing me to purloin your words of wisdom for my readers.

Tonight is Wednesday

That means that I am out for the evening, sharing thoughts, ideas, stories and experiences with others of my writers' group. I meet with a bevy of talented, warm, generous but profoundly honest women writers. Sometimes, Rick attends and amuses us with his comic poetry, sending us into fits. We read our words and receive the considered reflections of those present. Criticism is given freely and honestly and, with the gathering made up exclusively of published writers, it is always worth hearing and considering. Adverbs are crushed, clichés are scorned and purple prose is consigned to the bin where it belongs. But all is done in a generous and positive way, with suggestions for replacements of the offending words and phrases. The discussions are always lively, occasionally heated, but always good-humoured. So, tonight's post is just this and the word of the day.    Word of the Day is divorced from the post that precedes it and produced in response to a request from a follower to provide just such a service.
Word of the Day; influence – to affect a mind or an action; this is sometimes a corrupting force, but not always. ‘Percival had always longed to influence Penelope out of her pants, but, under the influence of half a bottle of Chivas Regal, he simply fell on his face at her feet, adversely influencing her opinion of him.’

Delaying tactics

Image via WikipediaI'll be posting another interview later on. For the moment, I'm busy actually writing, having just sent off the first chapters of my fantasy trilogy - A Seared Sky: Joinings. Book 2 is under way and I need to get more of that down on paper (or screen, anyway). I'm also re-reading my first novel, Breaking Faith, to iron out any typos and  oddities in the text before I convert it for ebook publication on Smashwords. Mind, you, the paperback version appears to be doing well again after a lull. And I must update my website some time today as well.
So, on with the work and I'll post the new interview later. If any of you published writers out there are interested in partaking of this opportunity, please contact me, using the 'Contact Me' link above. I like to make things simple.

The day after

OK, so I'm old enough to know it's not a good idea to eat or drink too much. But, it's only once a year and I knew I had today booked as leave to recover. So far, I've managed to do some more updates on my website; a venture intended to help readers and writers as well as to bring attention to my writing; have a look - http://www.stuartaken.co.uk - if you're a reader or writer.