All questions are anonymous. If you know who is asking the question and wish to leave a comment, please respect their rights to remain anonymous.
Q: SD, I have a
friend who constantly tells me I’m not a good writer and to give up on writing
a novel. They had gone as far as to try and convince our friends that
they should tell me the same thing. All of them except the one friend likes my
stories and had even convinced me to submit them in contest. Actually, I had
won quite a few. Recently I noticed a letter from a publisher with my friend
name on it, what should I do? Pissed! (More Attached.)
A: I’ve never been
the kind of guy who would get between two ladies… misunderstandings. However,
my daughter got me into watching Mixed Martial Arts contest (or MMA for short).
The raining woman’s champion is a vicious little pretty young lady called Ronda
Rousey. One thing I can honestly say about the Woman’s Champion, she doesn’t
bite her tongue. I’m not saying you should get in your friends face with
hostile intent, but you can give her a free copy of your new novel and thank
her for all her encouragement. Before she can ask you what encouragement, just
ask her how did she know that you always had a habit of doing the opposite of
what you are told, and walk away. The best revenge isn’t accomplished with
anger, but with a smile. I hope this helps. SD
Q: SD, I keep losing
my direction and end up writing something way off the main story line I had
listed. Do you have any suggestions to help me stay on track?
A: I do, but what
fun is doing that. I’ve found myself doing the same thing when an idea comes to
mind and fill my thoughts with the most marvelous story imaginable. Unfortunately,
just like your problem, it’s either far off course or has absolutely nothing to
do with the story or its outcome. For the most part, these are called threads
or loose ends. They are mostly harmless unless they are more interesting than
the overall storyline (which in some cases they are). The question you need to
ask yourself when these MOMENTS happen is if what you have written can be
concluded quickly, cut out completely, or is made the new overall storyline. Let’s
not forget that wonderful word Spinoff. No matter what you choose to do, never
stop your ideas from coming out to say hello. This is one habit you should never
tamper with. You might fix something that isn’t broken. I hope this helps.
Q: SD, I had done
what you had suggested about hiring and editor, but my manuscript came back
different than what I had imagined it. Am I doing something wrong? (More
Attached.)
A: You will get no disclaimers
from me on this subject nor will you play the pass the blame game with me as well.
Finding the right editor for you isn’t easy and it isn’t fun. Finding the right
editor for you takes as much effort as you had spent creating your manuscript. Finding
the right editor is finding the right partnership for you and not you finding
the right hired gun to win a shootout. You hadn’t mentioned about the
communications you had with the editor or you informing or clarifying your story
or expectations. If they are willing to take you on as a customer, you as the
person who agreed to entrust a part of yourself to them, should openly discuss
what you like about their work and where they had fallen short. As it is with
every writer, it takes time and effort to hone your skills to do the best job
you can do and then strive to become even better. This is also true for your
editor. It will take time and effort for them to understand your way of
thinking and allow them to help you present the best part of you to the world.
Now if they are not willing to work with you, don’t stop your search for the
right editor for you, and comment on their work appropriately. I hope this
helps. SD
SD Tracy Harper Contact Form
0 comments:
Post a Comment