WriteHook Gets His Ass Kicked

There are none so arrogant as they who are charged with pointing out your mistakes. So when a guy like me, who edits other people's novels, stories, and essays, writes a book, it's hard for said guy to believe he'll do anything wrong.

But this is why editors have a saying: Even editors need editors.                 

Karen Miller, my friend and the publisher of my Character Development from the Inside Out, is my editor. She was forCharacter Development and she is for my soon-to-be-released How I Make A Living In Writing. And, as I feared, she has put her boot right up my ass.

See, a good editor will call you on your bullshit and make you rethink your words. A good editor will demand that you give concrete examples and ideas when you bring up new points for discussion. A good editor will see that you can do better and then tell you how to go about it.

Fundamentally, my book is sound. The first draft was just thin (kinda like me in real life). But since Karen is a good editor (damn it!) she noticed the thinness and called me out on it (double damn it!). I'm editing according to her guidelines as we speak, and my book will be the richer for it. After all, a book on how I make a living as a writing professional will only have value to you if you know some details that you can apply to your own career.

I bring you this tale of editing woe as a reminder that all writers need editors, and to fill you in on the flipside. I am Karen's editor. And I returned her boot-to-the-backside when I read through her latest book. Because even editors need editors. And because I know where and how she can do better.

The moral of this story? You need an editor. And the more important your book is to you, the more you need someone who will be unafraid to wind up his boot and plant it in ye olde tush.

You don't need to hire me as your editor. But you deserve a good one. Because remember ‒‒ it's your name on your work. And the more care you put into it, the more you listen to what a professional is saying, the more you realize that editors are not here to tear you a new one (we're here to improve your work), the better work you'll put out there for the world to see.

Now get back to work before I have Karen lace up and ring your doorbell. But please visit her atwww.OpenDoorPublications.com.

Write for the jugular, folks.

Scott Morgan,
Speaker, Author, Editor, Proofreader, Creative Writing Developer

www.Write-Hook.com

Write for the Jugular!
Author of Character Development from the Inside Out and Short Stack