Hey Folks,
Just thought I’d mention, I emailed Dean Wesley Smith a few days ago for advice re something I was considering.
He responded right away, and his comments were very helpful.
So I sent back a thank you and didn’t expect to hear from him again. After all, he’s smack in the middle of a huge cross-country move. He’s moving out of a 9-bedroom house on the Oregon coast and into a much smaller condo in Las Vegas.
So he’s been packing all the stuff in Lincoln City, moved one truckload to Vegas, and several more truckloads to various other places (stores, etc.) in Oregon.
He’s a busy guy.
Yet this morning I received another email from him on the same topic I originally asked about. Again the advice was sound, and again it was something I hadn’t thought of.
Who goes the extra mile these days for other people? Almost nobody. But Dean Wesley Smith does. And all I can do is try to pay it forward.
Topic: How I Conduct a Copyedit (not an advertisement)
I’ve always liked the concept of “paying it forward.” I’ve also always liked the concept of delivering more than is expected of me.
Dean’s willingness to “pay it forward” only verifies for me that I’m on the right track in that regard.
In a copyedit, the writer is paying the copyeditor to check for
▪ punctuation, spelling and wrong-word usage;
▪ grammar and syntax, including obviously accidental shifts in verb tense;
▪ redundant narrative;
▪ consistency in hyphenation, numerals, fonts, and capitalization;
▪ consistency in character names, clothing, scene details, etc.;
▪ pacing and flow; and
▪ anything else that might confuse or otherwise interrupt the reader.
That’s what a copyeditor does. That’s what the writer is paying him to do.
But I’m also a writing instructor and a successful professional writer. So I kind’a stretch things a bit.
When writers hire me to copyedit their work, I most often copyedit a few pages. If they’ve grounded the reader in the setting in every opening, if they’ve included adequate sensory detail through the opinions of the POV character, and if they’ve provided good character descriptions when a character is first introduced, I do pretty much a straight copyedit.
But if they’re lacking any of those elements (or a few others) and I think I can help, I toss in a little instruction via embedded comments.
Then I email them those first few pages and ask, “Would you like me to continue with the instruction (no extra charge), or should I do just a straight copyedit?”
You’d probably be surprised at the number of writers who write back and say I should continue with a straight copyedit.
Of course, I’m happy to do that. Frankly, it’s a lot less work for me.
But every now and then one writes back with something like “Yes, please. I’d prefer the instruction as well.” I’m ecstatic to have found a writer who’s hungry to learn. And of course, I’m happy to provide the instruction, even though it does take up more time.
Why?
Because that and these silly blogs are about the only ways I really have of paying it forward. Passing along what I know.
And sure, there’s a “feel good” ego-feed aspect to it too, but that’s an abstract concept. It’s nice in the moment, but otherwise it doesn’t really matter.
On the other hand, increased sales for a writer whose work is much improved is about as concrete as it gets.
And all in all, that’s a pretty good legacy.
***
See you soon.
Of Interest
See “Where the ‘No Ending a Sentence With a Preposition’ Rule Comes From” (grin) at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-cant-you-end-a-sentence-with-a-preposition.
See “An Open Letter to Jeff Bezos” at http://www.thepassivevoice.com/an-open-letter-to-jeff-bezos-2/.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 630 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 630
Writing of D.R.E.A.D. (novel)
Day 1…… 3391 words. Total words to date…… 3391
Day 2…… 3827 words. Total words to date…… 7218
Day 3…… 3194 words. Total words to date…… 10412
Day 4…… 2456 words. Total words to date…… 12868
Day 5…… 2197 words. Total words to date…… 15065
Day 6…… 2794 words. Total words to date…… 17859
Day 7…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for the month……… 17859
Total fiction words for the year………… 224823
Total nonfiction words for the month… 9090
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 72600
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 297153
Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 5
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 1
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 11
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 31
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 5
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………………… 193