Tag: writing
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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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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…
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How should you approach your editor, and what can you expect to pay?
Hello, writers! As you’re embarking on your great resolution to FINALLY write that book (well done, you!), here are some pointers to keep in mind as you approach editors. (Post 3/3) How should you approach your editor, and what can you expect to pay? If I approached any service provider—dentist, mechanic, plumber—I’d give a sense…
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How can you find your editor?
Hello, writers! As you’re embarking on your great resolution to FINALLY write that book (well done, you!), here are some pointers to keep in mind as you approach editors. (Post 2/3) How can you find your editor? You have some say over which editor buys your book, especially if you’re a repeat author and you’ve…
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What type of editor do you need?
Hello, writers! As you’re embarking on your great resolution to FINALLY write that book (well done, you!), here are some pointers to keep in mind as you approach editors. (Post 1/3) What type of editor do you need? At this time of year, my inbox is flooded with people looking to hire an editor. I…
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A tale of three arborists
A few weeks back, I needed a couple of skinny trees taken down, and a couple of trees limbed (dead branches removed). A small job, all things considered. The first arborist came out a week after I called and sent a quote a day later: $2900. Ouch. I asked around, as I have a few…
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Editing as art form
I was several years into my career as a book editor when I realized editing is an art form, as much as painting or acting or writing. So, as an editor, that makes me an artist. How did this realization change how I edit? More respect for my craft: If editors had a dollar for…
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Finding your place in the Universe of Content
Writers are sponges. When they become interested in a subject, they absorb everything related to the topic. The process can be a bit, let’s say, obsessive. They start telling others about their interest, and additional articles and books head their way. Author and journalist Sam Anderson, in a recent interview with Longform, said, “I love…
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Writing a memoir? Here’s a quick edit you likely need to make.
Most of life is procedural: I got up, made coffee, hopped on a Zoom call with Suzanne… You don’t need it. Connect with the elements of your life that will impact your reader. For example, I’m working on a travel memoir about pilgrimage in Japan. The writer is covering two multi-week trips to Japan, as…
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How do you know when you’ve achieved your short-term writing goals?
The visual artist Lisa Congdon, in her book Find Your Artistic Voice, makes the case that artists are unique in how they set and achieve goals. “Many athletes,” she writes, “set performance goals that are measurable and easily comparable to other athletes in the same sport based on set standards: number of goals scored, seconds…