How important is editing, really?

Good evening!

So I'm in the home stretch for "Fresh Ice."  It's exciting.  I've just ordered a whole pile of business cards with the title of the book, which means I can't change the title of the book, and I'm working with an artist for cover art.

And now, I'm editing.  I'm going through all those pages of line edits my critique partner has been sending me to religiously, and I'm fixing the grammar and spelling and other issues that rough drafts tend to have.

But how important is all that, really?

Do readers really notice things like the odd spelling mistake or a grammar error?

One of the criticisms of the self pubbed and the e-pubbed is that the editing is not what it should be.  I've heard people, and sure, many of them are folks who are trying to feel superior about NOT self publishing, say that the final product in a self published book is not a clean copy.

That may have been true in the early days of e-pubbing.  And, I'm sure, that's true to a certain degree now.  There will always be poorly written books.  There will always be books where we shake our heads and say, "How on EARTH did this get published?  This is crap!"

(What writers are really saying here is, "What do I gotta do to have a New York Times best seller?")

Anyway, I digress.  Editing is, was, and always will be, important.  Spell check is not the answer.  Spell check is a good start.  But if you are going to write, and if you are going to be serious about writing and publishing, whether you go to a traditional publisher, an e-first publisher, or self publish, you need to have a few editing tools:

1)  A complete grasp of the language in which you are writing.

2)  A good critique partner who has a complete grasp of the language in which you are writing.

3)  Patience to line edit everything you write no matter where you are going to market it.

Line edits are a bore.  When I was working with an editor over at The Wild Rose Press on Dream in Color, I was in a rush all the time to get edits done.  The editor was none to pleased with me because I was not doing LINE EDITS.  I feel terrible now, but at the time, I was a first time author eager to get my book out.  I hadn't a clue what was involved.

With Lies in Chance partly because I knew I was doing this on my own, with the help of my critique partner, and partly because I'd been over the darn thing about a million times in 30 years, line editing was a bit easier, but still a challenge.  (I maintain that "Lies" will always be my "Rose Red"  the book was never finished.  I could go in there now and completely change the plot, that's how much I love those characters.) 

Now, line editing, no matter who is doing it, is not perfect.  My father, and English teacher, found two spelling errors in Dream in Color.  My coworker, a complete whackadoo, found five spelling errors in Lies in Chance.  My mother found something grammatical wrong with Dream, but I forget what it was.

On the whole, I think most readers over look the odd error, or the dangling preposition.  (No...Linda...I'm not going to dangle any prepositions on purpose!  I promise!)    I think some reader...some...are more critical when it comes to e-pubbed books, but I believe many of them are in the minority.  Readers, true readers, want a good story and can be forgiving when it comes to structure if the story is solid and the mistakes aren't too glaring.  (Change the color of the hero's eyes halfway through, however, and you're finished!)

So I'm off to line edit, fix, remove, and rebuild the smaller bits and pieces of the new novel.  I'm excited because the next step is it goes to my reader, a woman who loves to read and will inform me if the mistakes are distracting.  It's a big step in the life of a book, and it's one I'm eager to get to.

But first....I must read the book line, by line, by line.

Yawn!

Reading the books on this list is the sign of someone who needs an organized mind.

Hello all!

It's been a few days, but I'm very happy to let you know that "Fresh Ice" is coming along nicely.  (I know, you're all very excited.  I can feel it!)

One thing about successful authors in this era of publishing:  Few of us make a living strictly off of our writing.  Which means the vast majority of us work...and write.  To do this means we have to be very organized.  (How I manage it, I have no idea.)

My friends at accredited online colleges were kind enough to share this article with me this week, and I'm passing it on to you.  I like the sound of all these books...and when I get organized enough...I'm going to read them all!






10 Timeless Books for an Organized Mind


The modern world can be a hectic place. Trying to balance work, college courses, a social life, extracurriculars and just having a moment to relax alone is undeniably challenging. These tasks become even worse with an overwhelmed, overworked, or just plain disorganized mind. Taking time to clear the mental clutter and gain control of your thoughts can make just about anything easier — and may even result in a happier, more productive you. Here are some books we think are essential reads for nurturing a clear, focused and organized mind, no matter what you have going on in your life.



1Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

Written in the 6th century BC, this classic Chinese text’s Taoist wisdom is just as applicable in today’s world as it was when it was created. Topics in the Tao Te Ching range from political advice to practical wisdom, with many wise sayings including guidance like, "knowing others is wisdom, knowing the self is enlightenment." With a wide range of interpretations possible, readers can internalize the advice for just about any personal battle they’re going through.



2Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger

This best-selling book offers advice on how to conquer stress and anxiety by changing the way you think. Developed by two clinical psychologists, it provides readers a chance to get emotions that may be holding them back (like low self-esteem, guilt and anger) under control. As they slowly make their way through the worksheets and activities, readers will learn to feel more confident, happy, and in control of everything in their lives – including the negatives.



3How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life by Alan Lakein

Need some help showing your brain who’s the boss? Lakein’s book offers guidance on building willpower, working smarter and the importance of wasting time — all things that combine to make you happier and healthier, both personally and professionally. It can be especially useful for college students struggling to build time management skills, as it offers a simple and effective method to help you get more done for less investment.



4Organizing for Life: Declutter Your Mind to Declutter Your World by Sandra Felton

Think your cluttered apartment doesn’t have any effect on the way you think and feel? This book will show you how a messy home (or office) can cause stress and nurtures emotional issues, like guilt, fear and bad habits, which may be causing you to wallow in a negative, disordered and restless space. With the help of Felton’s advice, readers will learn how to not only create an organized home, but mind as well.



5The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

A bestseller since its 1990 release, Covey’s book explores the underlying issues that can help one person succeed while another flounders. From improving your work performance to deepening relationships with loved ones, the book offers advice on topics like time management, productivity, positive thinking and controlling your thoughts.



6Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

What makes one experience deeply satisfying while a similar one is not? In this book, psychologist Csikszentmihalyi explains that a state of consciousness called "flow" is the culprit. Readers will learn how to control this state and find deeper, more powerful enjoyment in many more life experiences.



7Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Study after study has demonstrated the powerful and brain-altering effects of meditation, and for those seeking greater mental organization, few more beneficial practices exist. In this book, Kabat-Zinn shares lessons about the art and what varying methods have to offer practitioners. A great read for both beginners and pros alike, it is essential to any library for the organized mind.



8Getting Things Done by David Allen

One of the best-selling productivity books of all time, David Allen’s Getting Things Done is a must-read for anyone hoping to seize control of their thoughts and lives. Using Allen’s methods, readers will learn how to quit procrastinating, be more productive and have more time for work and personal and play. One of the GTD’s most effective method? Users can get all those pesky to-dos out of their minds, into a schedule and out of the way so they can use those brain cells for something else.



9Games People Play by Eric Berne

Whether we’re at work or at play, human beings are a theatrical species. As much as we’d like to think otherwise, many of our interactions with others take on the form of elaborate and carefully-orchestrated games. It can often be difficult to puzzle out the rules or understand winning them. That’s where this book comes in. Readers will find an in-depth analysis of basic human social interactions, which can help them better process the power, competitive, and sexual games we play each and every day.



10The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler

Happiness is no accident, as you’ll learn here. Essentially an interview with the world-renowned Buddhist leader, the text may answer many questions weighing on your mind, from how to deal with death and loss to the best anger management strategies. At the heart of the lessons the Dalai Lama offers are keys perhaps unlocking true happiness and inner peace — maybe even a touch of enlightenment.

Is a classic always a classic? Or are we just getting dumber?

Good afternoon!

So my son, who is a junior in high school, is reading "Jane Eyre" in school this month.  It's easily one of my top 50 books ever.  I've read it every couple of years since I was in 8th grade.

My son, of course, hates it.

"It's a classic," I tell him, using the argument that every parent and teacher since the dawn of time has used on every reluctant student and child when introducing said child to any book.

"It's stupid," is the general retort from said child.

Now, my son is not a reluctant reader.  Both my kids love to read. But, with a very few exceptions, neither find the joy I did in books like "Jane Eyre,"  "Gone with the Wind," or my favorite of all times, "Wuthering Heights."

The stories hold up, however.  One of my daughter's favorite movies is the Ralph Fiennes/Juliette Binoche version of "Wuthering Heights."  And "Gone with the Wind" is what we pull out on a long winter's day.

So is this a sign that the classics aren't holding up, or are we getting too stupid to appreciate great literature?

Or the idea of "Great Literature" a cultural thing?

A few summers ago my son and I both read "Moby Dick."  It was a for a school project for him, and I had never read the book.  It's Great American Literature, right?  It's the epic tale of a man chasing the impossible.

It's quite possibly the worst book I've ever read.

By today's standards, if an editor at a publishing house got his or her hands on "Moby Dick,"  I have to think, based on my own experiences, that there would be so much red ink on the manuscript, it would look like the last algebra test I took.    Melville wanders his way through more than 700 pages discussing whaling, art, anything pretty much except the epic story of a man chasing the impossible.  If you removed all the extraneous stuff, the book would be about 100 pages long.  And way, way WAY better.

Now when it comes to reading, I'm not the top of the intellectual heap, but I'm no slouch either.  So am I too dumb to understand the mythic tome that is "Moby Dick," or is it a bad book?

Keep this in mind....Melville couldn't sell this book in his lifetime...during a period of time when folks didn't have TV, movies, radio, video games, Internet.  In short, Melville couldn't sell his book when there was NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT READ HIS BOOK. 

Looking at my favorite book, "Wuthering Heights," one could make an argument, in fact I believe some have, that if you put the book into today's language, you'd have something akin to today's romantic fiction.  It's just a question of how our language has evolved.

One of my son's favorite books is "It's Kind of a Funny Story."  I'm reading it right now.  Some might say it's garbage.  I think time will tell.  Which makes me wonder, what makes a book 'great literature?" 

I've taken a lot of English classes, and done a lot of reading, and I'm still not sure.  Is it popularity during the life of the author?  Hardly.  History is littered with great authors who died penniless but whose work is hailed as great.  Is it weeks on the best seller list?  Again, doubtful.  Fifty years from now will we still be reading John Grisham?  Maybe. 

If you want my opinion, I don't think we're getting dumber when it comes to what we read.  It's sort of like how Americans view British folks.  We Americans seem to think that British folks are smarter than we are because of their accent.  No disrespect to our friends across the pond, but I'm not sure that's completely true.  An accent doesn't make you smart.  Being smart makes you smart.  I think it's the same with literature.  We think what's being published now isn't up to the standards of past classics because it's easy for us to read.   But the truth is, books have always been written in the language of the day.  Which means "Wuthering Heights," in the days of Emily Bronte, wasn't nearly as hard for a 14 year old to read because that was the language of the day.

So I'll make an argument for this:  I think we're getting smarter.  We might not like working through the flowery language of Jane Austen, but we do it to get to the story inside.  We're able to to do it, in spite of the fact that we're practically reading in a foreign language.

Hey, you know what book I'd like to become a classic...maybe in my own lifetime?  "Dream in Color!"

Now my friends, stop on by tomorrow and Wednesday...I've having a special guest blog...my friend Kelly Moran.  She has a new book coming on on Friday and she'll be giving a free eBook copy to one my readers!

Being seen reading is almost as important as being seen writing.

Good morning!

When I was younger I read books like a starved convict.  I was a regular at the tiny public library in my hometown.  When I worked my way through the books that were age appropriate, I jumped over to the adult section.  Then I had to hide the books from my mom, but that's another story for another day.

Reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's books  (And I read them probably 6 or 7 times completely) inspired me.  I knew, after reading her tales of growing up, that I could be a writer.  Of course, first I knew I wanted to work around books.  For the longest time I wanted to be a librarian.  (Okay, I wanted to be a librarian who was also a paramedic who raised horses, but I digress.)  Books have been a cornerstone in my life.

So many writers I know don't do a lot of reading.  Too much else going on.  Kids, job, writing, there's just no time to sit down and read.

Well, if you're serious about writing, you need to keep reading.  You need to keep the printed word in front of your face.  Read what you love, read what's current, read something you wouldn't normally read.

Do I have a stack of books as high as my hip in my room?  Yes.  Between the books my kids insist I read ("Youth in Revolt" is brilliant, BTW.) books my dear critique partner, Linda, suggests  (Loved "The Help" but could not get into "The Tudors")  and books I get  from conferences, just to keep me in the romantic groove  ("Hundreds of years to Reform a Rake."  Terrible title, awesome book.)  I have a ton to read.  And that's not counting the books I pick up for myself.  I've been promising myself to read "Brava Valentina" by Adriana Trigiani for almost a year.

Market insiders will tell writers to read what's current.  That's the best way you're going to know the trends in publishing.  And there's a lot of truth to that.  Personally, I love Daphne du Maurier, and the Brontes, but writing in their styles is not going to get me anyplace here in 2010.  So I have to read books published this decade, this year, this month.  It's vital.

That said, reading is important as an exercise.  If you don't read, why bother writing?  If you're not a reader, why would you do anything that would depend on people reading?  Musicians listen to music.  Painters go to museums to look at paintings.  Writers need to read.

There, now, get yourself to a bookstore or library, pick up a book that was written in 2010, and read it!  Better yet, you kindle kiddies, check out Dream in Color(click on the book cover above), or my friend Edie's book, Cattitude, which just hit Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Cattitude-ebook/dp/B0040ZN224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1284731070&sr=8-1

Oh, and go forth and write!