Ten Book Edits: When It Rains…

On a Sunday in early May, Atlanta had a third rain shower in a week, one predicted to last all afternoon.  I recall hearing a powerful, small-voiced thought: ‘what a good day to edit a book!’  As the rain pattered the ground sounding like hands dancing on a rattling keyboard, I enjoyed both my editing…

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Drafting: Like It Rough

Virginia was embarrassed about her early draft, apologizing in a way like my mother would after cleaning thoroughly for company’s arrival – once guests were welcomed and had complimented her lovely home, she would say “Oh, it’s such a mess.”  This being Virginia’s first time back to writing after a long absence, she sought forgiveness…

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Hiring and Working With an Editor

Just out of college, he had never written a book before, much less hired an editor.  He asked for help from a few friends and his mom, but they didn’t want to hurt his feelings or find flaws with his work.  He needed a professional who didn’t know him to do a thorough cleanup and…

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Revolutionary Revision

All the writing for his book was on one flash drive. Bending to the tyranny of fear that harm might come to the computer – a theft, a lightning strike – Bob only wrote on the flash drive, placing it in different spots throughout the house to further protect his work.  Eventually, he couldn’t find…

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