Sending your story to an editor—especially if you’re new to the process, but also when you’ve been writing a long time—can induce anxiety and above all, uncertainty. What’s going to happen? What shape will the manuscript be in when you get it back? Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at my editing processes. First, I’ll talk about…
Tag: writing and editing
A Clarification to my Update: Short Fiction Pricing
My schedule & rate updates described in my last post were made with book-length work in mind: the 90-day lead isn’t necessary for short fiction. So for all pieces under 10,000 words or so*, my standard rate is $40/hr, and delivery can be expected within 1-2 weeks. This doesn’t count as “rush” pricing because there’s…
Join me at the Clubhouse! (Plus, Rate & Scheduling Updates)
To celebrate the release of her hilarious and heartwarming women’s fiction novel (plus WWII survival story) StumpStrong, my client Nicki Pascarella is hosting a series of “Bookclub” talks on Clubhouse. I’ll be joining her the evening of August 12 to talk about “Preparing Your Manuscript for Editing”: how to get the most from working with…
12 Words to (Almost Always) Cut
Strong stories are not necessarily short. They don’t need to be Hemingway-esque masterpieces of bare prose (even Hemingway didn’t always write that way). And it would be hypocritical to argue for only short sentences or short paragraphs when I have to make a conscious effort to write either. But in a strong story, every word…