editing

Conversations With My Editor

Me: Just remember I’ll be in bed by 9. Exam tomorrow. Editor: What time is it there? Me: It’s almost 9, but I’ll be up for a bit* yet. Time passes… Me: Dammit, woman, say something. Or are you efoting? Me: Uh, I mean editing. Editor: I’m efoting. Me: I think I’m keeping that...

Conversations With My Editor

As specific dates come nearer–like submission date, publication date, forgot-to-buy-my-brother-in-law-a Christmas-present date–writers can get a little clingy. And editors are there to talk them down off the ledge. Or maybe drive them over it. Me: The beta readers are trying to kill me. Editor: All the best ones do. Me: Hahaha. I’m worried, after...

So Close I Can Taste It

Two passes down, one more to go. I’ve fixed a lot of weird spelling issues that I think have something to do with my keyboard getting ready to die. (I can’t say all of it was the keyboard–at one point I found an entire sentence that had lived on from an earlier draft, and...

Holy Smokes, It's Hot Around Here!

Of course, that’s all relative–I do live in the frozen north. But they’re talking about 27 degrees celcius tomorrow, which is about 85 farenheit? And humidity. (And all my Southern friends are laughing hysterically at me at this very instant.) It’s also hot because I need to get my entry ready for the Sex...

Conversations with My Editor

My Christmas story is about a stripper. I had this conversation with my editor the other day. Me: I’ve decided I need to watch Magic Mike, because it’s research. Editor: I strongly support this level of dedication. Me: It’s a sacrifice I must make for my art. Editor: You’re my hero. On a totally...

Three Dirty Birds on Character

Three Dirty Birds are talking Character today with James Scott Bell’s Revision and Self-Editing for Publication (2e). Kate: So much wonderful in this chapter, it’s definitely not a skimmer. There’s stuff in this chapter that I’m definitely going to apply (if the day job ever calms down enough to let me write again). Ana:...

Rainy Sunday Roundup

Plan for the day: 1. Housework, before CFS hunts me down and steals my child. Not that they’d keep her–if you’ve never read O. Henry’s Red Chief story, you should. My life. I felt for those kidnappers. 2. Read, because I have Lori Witt’s and Aleks Voinov’s new Market Garden book singing its siren...