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Author: Amanda Lewis
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Nourishment: practices to sustain creativity
Some trees grow more readily in the forest when building on what has come before. Take hemlocks, for example. They’re fond of growing in nurse stumps or nurse logs, like this downed Douglas-fir. That way they can be closer to the light, and find firm grounding in nutrient-dense wood. In our creative lives, we can…
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Self-care for editors
I SEE YOU, BABY Saving that file. Taking that personal day. Plotting that schedule. Nudging that client. Thanking that accountant. Taking that workshop. Backing up that research. Implementing that system. Automating that calendar. Negotiating that autonomy.
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Lay it down: tips for working with writers
LAY IT DOWN Making art and writing can be a way of laying down a burden. Get it out, and you no longer need to hold it. Equip the reader or viewer to experience your art. An author’s note, introduction, or artist’s statement can help your work speak. The work starts living for itself. If…
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Getting to know you: relationship-building skills for editors
When I was in publishing school, I was obsessed with “getting it right.” I was intent on learning the proper order of front matter, the elegance of proofreading marks, the intricacies of hyphens. An error could lurk anywhere, and it was me against the page. What I’ve learned is that editing, though it feels like…
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Present solutions: tips for editors mid-assignment
The best copy editors are thorough and punctual, and they build relationships before, during, and after the assignment. Here are some tips for building the relationship mid-assignment. Imagine if your mechanic emailed you every time she found something wrong, and then said, “What should I do?” If you’re copyediting a manuscript, gather all your queries…
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Line-of-Sight
Author author author, this is editor editor editor. In a recent maritime radio course, I learned about how radio waves travel from source to receiver. Before then I’d thought of radio waves just “existing in the air” but they do need to transmit from one point to another. Hills, cliffs, large trees, etc can impede…
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Layers
I’m dressing myself in a shacket and overalls and building up the beds over here. Topsoil, compost, steer manure, straw, wood stove ash, seaweed, egg shells. Each offering nutrients, protection, stability. I often talk about editing in layers. A macro edit to determine the big picture, then a micro edit to fine-tune the idea and…
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Want to be a writer? Get comfortable with failure.
If you’re going to write, you don’t need to show that writing to anyone else. Your benchmark for success could be journalling every morning, or doing a character study once a month. It doesn’t need to be for anyone but yourself. You can win every time you sit down with your notebook or laptop. But…
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How to do a lot with a little
I’m a big fan of using one line instead of three. I love whittling away redundancies. A crisp paragraph is my jam. I’m constantly reminded you can do a lot with a little. A five-minute movement practice this morning dropped me enough into myself that I could take on the work of supporting other writers.…
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Imposter syndrome never goes away
“It’s getting scary and real!” I’ve been working with an author since last summer. I helped them shape their book proposal, and edited their manuscript. The result? They landed a book deal with their top publisher. Success! But despite that success, the imposter syndrome never really goes away. Now that the author is lining up…