The Writing Life
But I know now there’s one thing you’ve all overlooked: intelligence and education that hasn’t been tempered by human affection isn’t worth a damn…Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often a search for knowledge drives out the search for love.
– Daniel Keyes, Flowers for Algernon
Any complaints about sticky valentines should be directed to ATTN: Christopher Robin. All other correspondence should be sent to Write Right.
Criticism is a horse pill: hard to swallow but good for you.
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I recently was asked what I do if writers don’t listen to me. I was somewhat taken aback because I have no expectation that writers will listen to everything I say nor do I want them to. Writers are their own people, and they have a creative vision for their work that I may not fully understand despite my best attempts to read and critique closely. My job is to ask questions that encourage them to think and to be able to stand their ground when they are questioned about a choice they’ve made.
Sentences that begin with “if” tend to be speculative. That is, they guess about what might happen in the present or future or suggest that something was impossible in the past. Such sentences often require specific verbs such as “were.” They do, however, sometimes necessitate the use of “was.”
Asking an editor to take on your work is not like turning in a paper to a college professor. In college, you might have been able to write something at the last minute and turn it in for a passing grade. It isn’t like that with a professional editor. A professional editor – be that a copy editor or a developmental editor – is going to put your work beneath a microscope. He or she won’t let you get away with inconsistencies or mistakes because the goal isn’t a passing grade. The goal is a manuscript that you’ll be able to publish – not for free or for your mom and her five friends but for money, preferably a lot of it.
[Read more…] about 5 Things to Do before Approaching an Editor