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mbarkerWriting Excuses 12.25: Hiring an Editor, with Callie Stoker.
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/06/18/12-25-hiring-an-editor-with-callie-stoker/
Key points: Should an aspiring author hire an editor? Yes, to act as a one-on-one mentor. Or to support self-publishing. You don't have to do it all yourself! There are various kinds of editors, developmental/content, copy editor (grammar/punctuation), proofreader. Get the right one! As a writer, think of yourself as a small business owner. Find the experts who know what they are doing. Good editors will not bring out the Hammer of Doom and force you to write it their way. Good editors try to understand what the writer is trying to accomplish, then help them do that. How do you find the right editor? Trail edits, talk to other writers, meetings at cons, panels at cons.
( Where have all the red marks gone... )
[Howard] Outstanding. Writing prompt?
[Dan] Well, let's do homework today. Rather than writing prompt.
[Callie] Oh, I've got one.
[Dan] You've got one?
[Callie] I've got one.
[Dan] Hit us.
[Callie] Okay. So this works best for something short, a short story. Go ahead and write your story, all the way to the end. Then look at your word count. Your job is to subtract 1000 words. Anything extraneous. Once you've done that, go back and subtract another thousand words. And again, and again. Until your story falls apart…
[Dan] Until your story's a haiku.
[Callie] And doesn't do anything for you anymore. Once you've reached that point, go back and put 1000 words back in. And you've found your sweet plot.
[Howard] Oh, I love that. As a former audio engineer who pushed the knob too far, just to see where too far is, I love that. Callie, thank you so much for joining us. Well, I guess that's it. This is Writing Excuses. You, fair listener, are out of excuses. Go write.
From http://www.writingexcuses.com/2017/06/18/12-25-hiring-an-editor-with-callie-stoker/
Key points: Should an aspiring author hire an editor? Yes, to act as a one-on-one mentor. Or to support self-publishing. You don't have to do it all yourself! There are various kinds of editors, developmental/content, copy editor (grammar/punctuation), proofreader. Get the right one! As a writer, think of yourself as a small business owner. Find the experts who know what they are doing. Good editors will not bring out the Hammer of Doom and force you to write it their way. Good editors try to understand what the writer is trying to accomplish, then help them do that. How do you find the right editor? Trail edits, talk to other writers, meetings at cons, panels at cons.
( Where have all the red marks gone... )
[Howard] Outstanding. Writing prompt?
[Dan] Well, let's do homework today. Rather than writing prompt.
[Callie] Oh, I've got one.
[Dan] You've got one?
[Callie] I've got one.
[Dan] Hit us.
[Callie] Okay. So this works best for something short, a short story. Go ahead and write your story, all the way to the end. Then look at your word count. Your job is to subtract 1000 words. Anything extraneous. Once you've done that, go back and subtract another thousand words. And again, and again. Until your story falls apart…
[Dan] Until your story's a haiku.
[Callie] And doesn't do anything for you anymore. Once you've reached that point, go back and put 1000 words back in. And you've found your sweet plot.
[Howard] Oh, I love that. As a former audio engineer who pushed the knob too far, just to see where too far is, I love that. Callie, thank you so much for joining us. Well, I guess that's it. This is Writing Excuses. You, fair listener, are out of excuses. Go write.
