One of the benefits of writing short stories is that I get to deal with a lot of different editors. That can also be a problem, if they enter the relationship with too much ego. Or if you do.
Originally shared by David Farland
An editor can be your best friend or your worst enemy. In truth, I don’t think that you want him or her to be either.
Plenty to ponder here.
Originally shared by David Farland
When I used to write for competitions, I would make lists of ways that judges might look at my work in order to grade it. Today, I give you my list.
In which I talk about a trope that’s a close cousin to the Deus Ex Machina; why you should avoid it; and what you can do instead.
Some good pointers here on things you can tighten up about your story before submitting it, from a Writers of the Future judge.
The first point is one of the most important. I figured out a while ago that it’s very difficult to get a professional sale if you’re telling the kind of story that often works very well as a midlist novel: generic plot, generic characters, generic setting (the Federation of Space Opera, or West Sword-and-Sorceria). It can be done, but you usually have to be famous first.
Writers of the Future is a competition, not a magazine or anthology, so he doesn’t mention one important reason that editors may reject your piece: it may be good, but not fit what they’re looking for in that specific market. Research your market carefully before submitting.
Originally shared by David Farland
https://mystorydoctor.com/why-editors-reject-your-story/
Classic magazines.
Originally shared by Boing Boing
All of If magazine is now available at the Internet Archive.
Stephen Fry is involved in Pindex, a “Pinterest for eduction” which sets up collections of resources on specific topics. This is the Creative Writing one.
Unfortunately, their CSS is currently broken, and the menu is clashing with the content (for me on Chrome, at least). But it looks like there’s some good stuff there.
To me, the second page of this post is more important than the first, because a lot of people get it wrong. Might is the past tense of may. If you’re narrating in past tense, the correct phrasing is “he might have got it wrong”, not “he may have got it wrong”. The second version shifts the narration into the present tense with a wrench.
Originally shared by Grammar Girl
There is a difference.
Do eeeeeet.
Originally shared by S. A. Hunt
If anybody needs–or you know anybody that needs–a book cover, I’m running a sale to muster funds for a trip back to Michigan to spend the summer with this beautiful woman, the light of my life. Yes, [gasp], I’m doing book covers for a little while. I have to go back. I must go back.
$100 for both Kindle cover and physical book jacket, free revisions up to 3.
Ooo.
Originally shared by Winchell Chung
Do your rifles have a tendency to turn into shotguns?
Do minor characters change their names without warning?
Do they get into the same car twice in two different parts of the scene?
Does an object that was destroyed in Chapter 3 turn up in Chapter 10?
All of these (real) examples are reasons you might need a continuity editor.
Originally shared by Adriel Wiggins
Looking for a Continuity Editor/Proofreader?
For anyone that’s followed me for more than a week, you’ve probably figured out that I read. A lot. I have done quite a bit of editing through the years, and can give you references upon request. I work with independent authors and authors wanting to polish their book before sending it to an agent.
I don’t love story arch tinkering or grammar nit-picking. But I love continuity editing. What this means specifically is that by the tenth draft of your book, you can no longer remember the name of that minor character that died in chapter two or whether the antagonist’s tattoo is on his wrist or bicep. I will find all of those minute changes for you. I work especially well with series.
I love and am most familiar with mystery, and fantasy. I’ve also read quite a bit of romance/erotica, scifi/alternate universe/steampunk, thriller/suspense, and historical fiction. I’ll read just about anything, though. You probably don’t want me reading your very technical non-fiction, though because I likely won’t have done the research necessary to edit it properly.
I charge $8/1,000 words with a $100 minimum. This is not nearly as much as you will pay your final editor, but I will help you iron out a lot of the details before you pass it on to them. If you are interested, send me an email me at mrsawiggins05 at gmail or check out my blog at http://mrsawiggins05.wordpress.com.