If you’ve ever completed a story or a longer manuscript you’ve experienced a freeing rush of relief. You’ve invested days, or at least hours, in the writing. Endured the anguish of writing your hero into an inescapable corner. Perhaps you even shed a few tears over your hopes of ever finishing the piece and getting […]
manuscript
What’s Your Biggest Fear About Editors?
Unless you’re an editor, you can’t imagine the glow of delight created when a client says they love what I’ve helped them do with their words. That feeling not only strengthens my resolve to help other writers but empowers my client to continue writing. Without a solid base of story, character, and plot, there would […]
Your Biggest Question About Editors Answered
Who knew all you writers out there were so shy? No one wanted to ask a question this week. So, here’s the number one biggest question I get in person when someone asks what I do. “Why should I pay a professional editor for something my spouse/friend/next door neighbor/pastor/librarian can do for free?” (Or I […]
Take Time to Build the Layers
This morning saw the end of more than fifty hours of low, thick fog surrounding my house. By noon, the last traces of it disappeared, revealing a cold, gray sky. Weather forecasters said layers of snow created the fog. And the lack of any trace of sunlight for three days kept it in place. That […]
Why Not Now?
“Why not now?” That’s the last sentence in a marketing proposal I just wrote for the local Friends of the Library. For them, getting the community involved takes more than forming a group and waiting for supporters to show up. For writers, getting a novel written, or a magazine article, or a memoir, takes more […]
8 Ways to Use the Seasons to Spice Up Your Story
Yesterday a flock of geese flew in a low jagged line across my property, their discordant honking filling the air. I watched them pass from sight behind the walnut tree that chose that moment to release of drift of leaves from every branch. These signs catapulted me into the realization that a new season is […]
Editing is Like Cleaning the Garage
As I’m writing this, my handyman is cleaning and organizing my garage. Or I should say he was because he just came to say he’s finished. And the garage looks great. He sorted everything by purpose and frequency of use. I would have had a very hard time getting this job completed so quickly. Not […]
Choose Some Squishy Writing Goals
It can’t be June already! Yet it is. That means it’s time to check our progress against all those goals we set back when the year was fresh and young. For me, the writing workshop series I’m doing with the local library is nearly complete. We’ve had a lot of fun working our way from […]
Falling in Love, Again
I’ve been reveling in the forgotten joy of picking up a manuscript I set aside some time ago. There are moments of joy found in paragraphs and chapters that excite me again as I re-read before beginning the writing process again. And there are minutes of agony over words, sentences, and paragraphs that I now […]
Riding the Story Flow
Have you ever had the bulk of a new story drop into your consciousness while you teetered on the edge of sleep? It happens to me every once in a while, and that’s what I experienced a couple of nights ago. I wasn’t planning to start a new manuscript. I wasn’t even looking for a […]