Notes from the Editor
Recently I was asked to join Baen Books, a major speculative fiction company, as a consulting editor. In order to save time for both me and for authors, I’d like to tell you what I’m searching for.
How to Attract an Editor Part Two
As a writer, I have my job to do. I create works of art, and then let the editors judge whether I have done it well enough for publication. That’s your job, too.
On Editing Your Novel
Over twenty-five years ago I began editing professionally. I began by doing volunteer work as an editor for literary magazines, but my first job was for Brigham Young University, where I helped professors raise their work to publishable levels. Many of the people I worked with were scholars with tremendous expertise in their field of […]
You’re an Editor
I found out on Wednesday that an anthology that I’d edited—L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume 35—had won the Critters Readers’ Poll for Best Anthology of the Year. That’s delightful. This readers’ poll has thousands of fans who vote for the awards, and one of our authors in the book, Wulf Moon, […]
Accepting Responsibility for Your Novel: Editing
When you write a novel, the chances are good that the publisher will hire editors to massage your text. There are problems with that, of course.Not all editors are as good as you’d like. Editors get tired. Editors don’t get paid enough. Editors have lapses of judgment. Your editor might not like your work. He […]
Most Common Editing Problems
One time I taught a writing workshop in Salt Lake City and spent some time reading stories. In the past, I haven’t spent much time talking about stylistic problems, but I thought it would be interesting to bring up the six problems that I see most often: 1) Weak verbs. Very often, people will use […]
Damaged Characters
One time I caught the season finale to a show that finds needy families and then rebuilds or replaces their homes. In this case, the father in the family seemed to be a great coach and a great person, but he was suffering from ALS, a disease that will take his life within a year […]
Choosing Your Editor
Have you ever thought about the fact that when you submit your lovingly written novel to a major publisher, you get to choose your editor? You choose your potential editor by submitting to that person. You write a letter of introduction, a synopsis of your novel, and send in a sample of your work—all in […]