An experienced freelance editor can assess which parts of your manuscript aren't functioning optimally and prescribe practical revisions to help you take it to the next level.
But don’t take my word for it.
Instead, take the word of agents, editors, and readers—the literary gatekeepers who will essentially judge your words whether you’ve hired a freelance editor or not.
Read MoreWhen it comes to passages that make you go “…whoa,” every writer knows the importance of a great opening sentence. (Name one workshop on finding your dream agent that doesn’t talk about “perfecting your hook.” I dare you.) Put simply, a great opening sentence gives you the platform and the opportunity to grab a reader’s attention and never let go.
Here’s a phenomenal example that made me go, “…whoa” recently:
Read MoreOne of the biggest complaints I hear from writers is that they don’t have enough time to complete a project.
This is understandable. Many writers have day jobs, families, friends, not to mention other responsibilities and hobbies. Unless you’re a professional writer, you may not have the consistent ability to write for hours at a time.
Still, we all have sips of time throughout the day.
Read MoreToday, the Gilmore Girls Netflix mini-series is released! I’m a bit nervous about how successful the show will be, switching from an hour-long television drama to a ninety-minute mini-series format after 10 years, but I’m also excited to follow up with characters that feel like old friends.
In honor of Release Day, I developed a list of writing tips we can all learn from GG showrunner, Amy Sherman-Palladino.
Read MoreToday is my first day as a full-time freelance editor, but I didn’t decide to do this on a whim. Getting here has been a long time in the making.
I started editing as a side gig in 2013, to complement my day job as a publicity assistant at St. Martin’s Press. In the intervening years, I job hopped — working in technology, healthcare, and even entertaining the quarter-life crisis of going to med school — but writing, editing, and interacting with aspiring authors on a personal level are the only things that stuck. These are the only things I would do for pay or for nothing, simply because I love doing them.
This morning, my father gave me the following advice:
“Always remember to focus on your goal, not the issues of the day. If you can do that, any challenges become the stepping stones to your success.”
Growing a business, like writing a novel, is a marathon, not a sprint. If we focus on the minutiae du jour, we’ll never make it across the finish line.
So, on days when you don’t feel like writing, do it anyway. On days when you have no idea what your characters should do next, go for a walk or take a shower. Or watch bad television. The idea will come.
Do not chain yourself to your desk. Do not let “The Work” consume your life. Instead, live your life, pursue interests that mystify and terrify you, and let the resulting vibrancies flow onto the page.
I’ll do my best to do the same.
With gratitude and best wishes,
Jessica
(You can see some of the more practical steps I took to get where I am today — wearing a T-shirt and shorts, drinking water out of a Gryffindor pint glass at my home desk — by reading this LearnVest article.)