This Book is Brought to You by the Letter 'C'

For me, the editing process is one of the most exciting aspects of writing.  Not only do you have the opportunity to really make your work shine, but if you have a bit of a sense of humor, it's a great opportunity to laugh at yourself.

There's always that one sentence that no matter how many times you've read your manuscript, someone else is going to catch.  In Ragtown, the line was:

 "Art lit his cigarette off Lance's butt."  (That is one hot butt!)

Then of course there is that one word that you didn't realize you used ten thousand times in a two hundred page manuscript.  In Ragtown it was 'exit'.  In Call Me Crazy it was 'just'. 

   

 So I've been looking for those sentences, those words and recently  discovered that my problem now is a letter. The letter 'C'.

As if the title Call Me Crazy isn't loaded with enough C's, I have characters named Cass, Clay, Benny Cloud, Claire and Clive.  The worst is Claire, because she is married to Benny. Yes. Claire Cloud.  Luckily, there isn't a scene where they all meet up.  Maybe if there had been, I would have noticed sooner:

Claire Cloud sat next to Clive at the cafe counter. She motioned to Cass who was chatting with Clay, the cook. "I could use a cold Coke like Clive's." (cluck, cluck, cluck)

Yes, I may have noticed my 'C' addiction had a sCene like this been in the book.  (I also would have thrown away my book of ideas and jabbed myself in the eye with a pencil).

So again, the benefit of editors, beta readers and not just rereading your manuscript, but analyzing it a bit for the little things.  Then laugh it off, reword a sentence, use another verb or, in this case, change a few names.

Trust me. You'll C a difference.

 

 

A Reminder From My Pets

I have a homeless kitty that lives in my backyard.  A victim of the mortgage crisis and bad owners, he was left on the street in my neighborhood when his owners were evicted from their house.  He had a sister, who I rushed to the all night emergency room in Las Vegas one night when she was hit by a car in front of my house.  Now he is alone, and has taken up residency in my backyard.

He is a beautiful animal.  White and blue-gray, thick haired and well nourished.  I put food and water out for him and my neighbor has a nightly milk bowl.  But he won't let me near him.  He's afraid of humans, and I don't blame him, after being put out as a baby to fend for himself.

My princess DeeDee

The last thing I need is another pet.  I have a Shar-pei, my husband has a miniature Yorkie and we are all owned by Mr. Kitty, the baddest cat in the land.  They are very protective of their 'people' and their yard and aren't afraid to do their job.  Mr. Kitty once scared a coyote away.  That's one tough kitty.

 

But for some reason, they treat homeless kitty differently.  It's as if they have adopted him, invited him into their home, and welcomed him with open paws.  Why is that? 

 

I have seen pets do some amazing things, and I know everyone else has a story or two.  But I think that my animals are exhibiting a trait that many would call a 'human trait'.  Compassion.  I think in their animal world, they appreciate the loving home they have and are willing to share a small piece of it with another that has been cast out.

 

Following their example, I have decided to make homeless kitty my project for the summer.  It's going to get very hot soon, and I would rather him come inside during the day with the others.  I know once I name him, he becomes mine, so I'm sticking with homeless kitty for now.  Maybe my Elly Mae instincts will prevail and I can get him to trust humans again and can find him a good home.  I hope so.

This morning, I walked onto the back patio and saw homeless kitty snuggled up between my Shar-pei and the Yorkie, while Mr. Kitty patrolled the yard. 

 

I had to smile.  My pets have chosen to welcome a homeless animal into their world and in doing so, have reminded me to be a little more 'human' as I go through my day.

Helping another that is down on their luck is a beautiful thing, even if they are a little different than you.    

Meet My Editor Extraordinaire

In March, I wrote a guest post for Ciara Ballintyne's 'Somebody Has To Say It' blog about finding an editor.  It took me about six weeks and I finally found one that I was willing to trust my infant to.  As Ciara commented at the end of my guest post, 'Word of mouth is a powerful thing.'  So, it was risky of her to take me on, knowing I would be blogging to the world about her services, good or bad, but she did.   Being a good sport and taking that chance got her a few points right up front.

 

Now I shall eat a bit of humble pie and say that I did not follow my own advice exactly.  However, everything is a learning experience, so let me tell you how I made my decision.

1)Price-Yes, I am price conscious.  I am on a budget and I would rather pay a moderate amount than a higher amount. Sue me for being poor.  And I know that many of you will throw out the tired, old saying 'you get what you pay for'.  That is bull.  I've bought some pretty amazing things at discount stores---you just have to be willing to take your time and shop around. 

I'm not saying my new editor is low priced---not at all.  But, moderately priced, which I think is fair to both of us.

 

2) Experience- She is new to editing, which I don't have a problem with.  She does have four or five full manuscripts in different genres under her belt and quickly provided me with those customers names and email addresses to contact.  But she is a writer, and a good one.  Her website has several examples of her work, and after reading them, I was fairly confident that she could help me with my manuscript, And They Call Me Crazy.

3) Attitude- This is something that I didn't touch on in my original post, but I am going to now.  My editor was excited about my project, from reading the brief blurb through the entire process.  Her energy and enthusiasm made me feel like we were partners, I had someone I could discuss the manuscript with as she edited. Writing is a lonely sport, and it's nice to finally have a teammate.

4)Website- If you read my original post, you know that I have a 'thing' for wanting to see someone's website.  It tells me you are serious about the job, even if you are just starting out.  My new editor's website is professionally done and has no spelling or grammar errors!  You may find that a strange thing to be excited about, but after going over several, looking for my perfect match, you have no idea how many mistakes I found.  As I said in the original post, I can make those errors all by myself, I need an editor that can find them, not make them.

But those are all factors in choosing and editor.  The big question is, after editing And They Call Me Crazy, how do I feel about her?

 

I am thrilled! A writer and a good editor form a relationship, one built on honesty and respect.  It takes a team effort to produce an amazing piece of work.  You must have a partner that is willing to help you take it to the next level.  My editor, and yes, she will be my editor again and again, not only helped me improve my work, but helped me improve it more than I had anticipated.  She exceeded my expectations, which is difficult to do, because I've been told more than once that I'm a tough one to please.  But she did it.  All hail the Editor Extraordinaire. 

 

So who is this Wonder Woman of Words, this Energizer Bunny of Editing, this Goddess of Grammar?

 

Her name is Rebecca Mahoney and you can find her here:  www.rebeccamahoney.com

And I hope you do check her out when you need an editor, because every writer needs one. No matter how good you think your work is, how engaging your neighbor found the plot or how interesting and complex your mother finds the protagonist, a second (or third, or fourth) set of eyes to go over it is necessary.... As a person who spends a lot of time editing for others, I would never claim that I don't need one myself.  I do.

 

But I've found my perfect match.

While you're clicking around, check out my books on my website.

And don't forget to read my original post about finding an editor, which also talks about a Victorian era, sex-starved, zombie dragon.  How can you resist that?