Tag: editing mindset
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What will it feel like to finish your first draft?
In publishing, we often create work-back schedules. Based on the day we want the book to be in the world, we map out how many months we’ll need for writing, editing, designing, printing. The writer knows when their manuscript is due, and they’re writing toward that date. But what if you don’t have a set…
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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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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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The importance of The Sacred Pause
It happens a lot. My clients hit their deadline (nailed it!) and then… “After a day’s reflection, I decided to tighten this scene/add this story/delete that thing I was worrying about last night.” It’s no problem for my editing process. I just add/delete and carry on in the document. But the recurrence highlights how important…
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So much of writing is wrestling with fear
Here are two examples of how to push through the fear with action and ideas: – If you’re afraid you’re “lazy” and won’t do the work, you hold yourself to a schedule, deadlines, and accountability. – If you’re a perfectionist and afraid of making a mistake, you push through the fear and write, knowing you…
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Writing seasons
There are seasons in every writing project. Spring: Ideas burst forth, and everything feels possible. Summer: You’re on a creative roll and writing on a regular basis. Autumn: You start to sort out what you’ve written and figure out where you’re going next. Winter: You rest—tired from your efforts, fearful of next steps, or replenishing…
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Is it better to write an outline first, or just write and figure out the structure later?
It’s often said there are two types of writers: plotters and pantsers. Plotters are those who write from an outline. Pantsers are those who write without an outline—they write by the seat of their pants. So, is one approach better than another? Nope. And can you use a mixture of both styles? You bet. I’m…
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Three Ways to Build an Editing Mindset
Cultivating an editing mindset can be one of the most supportive things you can do for yourself as a writer. Editing gives you another shot at expressing yourself in a clearer way. In this way, editing can be a deep act of self-care. When you embrace an editing mindset, you know that you won’t get…