This topic caught my eye while I was scrolling. I enjoyed the discussion about the phases a manuscript goes through as it passes to different people on the publishing journey. We all believe our writing to be a part of us, but isn’t the idea that it becomes “real” only once someone else has read it a bit ironic? The section about the author-editor relationship and how an editor views a book is informative—something to be kept in mind when you send your work out. Well worth reading for writers and editors, enjoy!~
Carolyn Haley Writing a novel has often been likened to having a baby. The analogy is apt, in terms of gestation, obsession, pain, thrill, frustration, and all that goes with the long-term development of a new life. Less often discussed is what happens later in the process, when it’s time to push the fledgling out […]
Nyssa has two favorite times of the day—walk times and feeding times, both of which occur twice daily. Isn’t she lucky?
Since she was old enough, I have taken her for a walk first thing in the morning. Many people say it helps a dog merge into the day easier if they go out to “patrol” their surroundings first. It seems to work fairly well in the 25 years I have been doing it with seven different dogs.
We speed-walk three-quarters of a mile down the street because she can’t wait to get to the furthest point away from the house that I will go. Then we amble back, or rather I tow her back. She truly loves her walks, no matter when they happen.
When we return, she has her food and then settles in to perhaps play a little, but certainly nap the morning away. All is good.
I find the early morning walks energizing as well. It helps to set the tone of the day, or bring to my attention what my tone is so I can correct it, if need be. It gets my muscles moving and my brain working. I rarely have any sleep fog lingering after the first couple of minutes down the road.
It also gives me the opportunity to witness some truly amazing celestial moments and gorgeous sunrises. Because the traffic gets busy very early around here, we are always walking in the hour or so just before dawn.
The quiet is perfect for a morning mind-sort.
So though at times I rail against morning walks in my mind, (think winter and rain), I do enjoy them.
The open promise of what the day can become is so tangible in those hours before dawn. Starting the day this way has been part of half my life now, so it must be something good.
It gives you more of an opportunity to enter the editing day with a sunny outlook.
Or if you write, getting your own words down first can make the difference between finishing your book and not. You are, after all, your number one customer, right?
Put yourself first and do something that makes you feel good before sitting down to better someone else’s work. Mindset is everything.
Do you start the day with something that makes you feel good, feel strong, feel positive? Try a walk one warm morning, and I guarantee you will feel uplifted the moment the birds start singing while the sky changes color in burgeoning silence. Or get that next paragraph written, or master that yoga stretch. A few little endorphins patrolling around your brain and you will be ready to take on that block of text you gave up on last night.
Shake off the sleep, wake the muscles, drop off the dregs of yesterday, and walk home with a spring in your step and your tail curled high on your back. Like Nyssa does. Akitas do know best.
Have a great week! Woof woof roooooo!~ 🐕🦺
What is your morning routine, does it start with something that makes you feel good? If not, would you like it to? Let me know in the comments below 👇🏼, maybe we can help each other better our mornings.😊
If you’d like to get more editing tips for your own editing endeavors, subscribe to the Red Leaf Word Services newsletter and get your copy of my 15 Tips for Self-Editing checklist.
You can find the checklist popup at www.redleafwords.com, or use this link here to sign up and get your copy! You may even get more of Nyssa in the newsletter too 😉.
One of the editing tips I recently posted on my social media channels for Red Leaf Words Services had to do with rephrasing clichés in your own unique way when you want to use the basic idea. This post from the informative ladies at Writers Helping Writers shows you how to do just that. Your readers will thank you!~
One of the things that pumps me up the most when I’m reading a book is when the author phrases things in a way I’ve never seen before. It could be a familiar concept or image—red hair, an urban street, fear—but when it’s written differently, I’m able to visualize that thing in a new way,…
“I’m suggesting you take a different approach, Cedar.”
Cedar and Nyssa playing
Nyssa rules the roost here. Yes, she is the biggest, but size doesn’t seem to matter very much to Dash, nor to Cedar. Both of them love her to bits and bask in her attention when she gives it to them. She instructed Dash to play the way she wanted him to from day one, even though he is fifty pounds lighter than her. He happily complied and they play beautifully together to this day.
Cedar, on the other hand, is a cheeky, fresh young lad. Nyssa is thrilled she finally has an Aussie that loves her and plays with her (my previous boy, Tristan, tolerated her presence) but she is always suggesting he take a different approach.
Sometimes Cedar takes that advice, sometimes he doesn’t. But they still end up playing and happy nonetheless.
The key takeaway from this exchange is the suggesting.
As editors, we are asked to look at someone else’s work with the idea of helping them improve it. In that light, our feedback takes the form of suggestions.
We don’t have the final say over what is left in, how it is phrased, or even punctuated sometimes.
Which is OK and we have to BE OK with that.
Suggestions leave room for acceptance, further thought, or rejection. (This may not apply as much to copyediting, which does adhere often to style guides and other rules for the finer elements of writing.)
The point is that our outside view to the work gives us the ability to see other layers that could be explored or a different direction to approach an issue from. To encourage more thought on the matter that could benefit the reader down the line.
Suggestions don’t demand a certain outcome. It’s not in their nature.
Even when Nyssa is “suggesting” to Cedar not to do as he is, he still has the option to continue and most times he does. Then when he does accept her offer of an alternate way, they end up playing together far longer than if he’d ignored her suggestion.
We want to feel that our efforts have been worthwhile over the course of a developmental or line edit—it’s a lot of work! And often that is only judged by how many edits are accepted. Does that mean we have failed?
No. In the end, the final decision is not ours. Authors can be attached to a particular phraseology that sets an editor’s teeth on edge, it’s their prerogative. It’s their creation. And all of us writer-editors will certainly reserve that right in our own stead!
It can be very difficult to separate the emotion of the hard work from the feeling of not being heeded. Good communication between the editor and author can ease this disparity, as can remembering that we are using our expertise to suggest.
Editors still have all of those accepted suggestions that were acknowledged and appreciated to fall back on. The old saying is that you can’t please one hundred percent of the people one hundred percent of the time. Authors know this too, or they will find it out in reviews for certain. It’s not all or nothing.
At the end of an editing project, I remind myself that these are my suggestions for where I can see some extra thought or reworking is needed. Through my comments and our converstaions, the author can choose to do with those ideas as they will. The more important part is reaching the goal of the editor-author partnership—publishing the best work possible.
Which probably means we may play together again. Like Nyssa and Cedar.
She isn’t daunted when he carries on, because she knows she has done her work in communicating her suggestions. It’s then up to him to take them or not. She advises, he asserts and they meet in the middle to carry on and live together well (thankfully for me). It makes their relationship stronger, and it can with authors and editors, too.
By keeping our minds open, our discussions thought-provoking and considerate, and our common goal in mind, we can measure success in more than ‘accepted vs. rejected.’ It seems to work well for dogs, why shouldn’t we consider it? If it means I can eat, sleep, and play, I’m in. So make your suggestions, try not to be daunted by rejected ones, and keep playing!
Have a great week! Woof woof roooooo! 🐕🦺
Fantasy Authors! Have you heard about ProWritingAid’s upcoming Fantasy Week? No?
Do you love writing fantasy?
Our friends at ProWritingAid have you covered!
ProWritingAid’s first ever Fantasy Writer’s Week will be jam-packed with free events for fantasy authors.
With live sessions from bestselling fantasy writers TJ Klune, Angela J. Ford, David Farland and Stephanie BwaBwa, a world-building workshop, and a complete World Anvil software walkthrough, you don’t want to miss this event!
*Please note this is an afffiliate link, so I may receive some compensation if you click through here 😉.
Interested in more information about Red Leaf Word Services editing? Please visit my website www.redleafwords.com. It has undergone some reorganization, come on by and check it out!
There is a new service—The First 100 Pages edit. It’s great for getting an idea of how your story works from the beginning so you can continue with a blueprint in mind, or for giving self-editing a start. Even for trying out a new level of editing. You can find more information about it on the For Fiction Authors page at Red Leaf Word Services.
While you are there, you can sign up for the newsletter, where you can get more of Nyssa. ‘Cause she always has more to say, she’s an Akita! Or you can sign up below 👇🏼 and still get the same editing news, offers, and tips.
This landed in my inbox this morning, the day after I wrote a piece about fear. Fear has been on my mind a lot lately and I am in a constant struggle with it in several areas of my life.
In this piece, Donald Maass reminds writers of some questions that should be asked while writing, and then asked again by editors as they make suggestions.
Reading it reminded me of why I read certain things at certain times. Maybe it will resonate with you, too.
And I also just remembered I need to buy his book, The Emotional Craft of Fiction, I’ve been meaning to for a while. Happy Birthday to me!
What do you need to be reminded of today?
What are your hopes and dreams? What are you most afraid of? Search online for common fears and phobias, and you will quickly find that whatever terrifies you also terrifies others. Do you, for instance, suffer (as so many do) from Koumpounophobia, Alektorophobia, Sidonglobophobia, or Hippotomonstrosequippedaliophobia? Those are the paralyzing fears of buttons, chickens, cotton…
I see this topic come up in conversation in online writing groups constantly. This Writer Unboxed episode provides a solid idea of what to expect from an editor and why we aren’t to be feared. Editors have a genuine desire to help authors improve their craft and see their creativity shine. Many of us are writers too, we understand the discomfort involved, and trust me, we don’t want to perpetuate it in someone else! ~
Letting other people—even those close to you—read your novel for the first time can be stressful. You’ll wonder if they’re going to judge you, if they’ll recognize themselves in there, or if you really want your mother to know that you know about these things. But after the first few times, you get used to…
One difference I would note is that where Mr. Dempsey talks about the notations and comments made in “…copy editing and proof reading” stages, at Quill & Orb Press those notations would be part of my line editing and copy editing services.
If you would like to learn more about Quill & Orb Press editing, please visit me here. Enjoy your day!~
Writers are cognizant of how important it is to include all of the senses in the narrative. This article explores how important inclusion is, for the author and the words.~
When I’m writing—these articles, for example—I often compose a kind of first draft in my head, and I usually do it when I’m out on a long walk with the dog. For this article, I knew I wanted to get across the idea that writers can introduce elements from one or all of the five…
Writing contests are a topic I often think about and something I want to do in the near future. It appeals to my competitiveness and my creativity. Some of these deadlines are past or coming up soon, but there are many later in the summer. Follow the link to see if any pique your interest! Happy writing!~
This contest submissions season covers deadlines from June 1, 2020 through August 31, 2020. Summer is a slower time for any literary journal or contest associated with a university, but there are still opportunities between beach waves and new drafts. 2,540 more words
The Sun, a Book, and a Dog 