darkemeralds: Photo of fingers on a computer keyboard. (Writing)
darkemeralds ([personal profile] darkemeralds) wrote2013-10-07 12:27 pm
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8/31: The Editor Is In

I've been asked to edit a manuscript, and after much deliberation I've decided to go ahead. The writer, who's a stranger to me, has been willing to put her (original fiction) rough draft out there with a sincere request for comment and critique, and I admire that kind of openness and courage (and enthusiasm and self-confidence). I said I'd give her a free hard edit of the first couple of pages (because I'm guessing that problems I see there represent a pattern throughout the work).

She replied very quickly. I'm not 100% sure that she actually accepted my offer of a free editorial scalpel-ing, but I'm going to go ahead.

Old Peanuts comic panel showing Lucy at her psychiatrist booth, with the overhead banner changed to say Word Help Five Cents


ETA: I understand that this budding young author has spammed pretty much all of DW--including the DW Powers That Be--with her request for reviews. I'd like to think she's sincere if a little mistaken in her approach, and I wouldn't want to see her shot down for it. We were all young writers once, and, speaking for myself, not all of us had this much chutzpah.
tehomet: (Default)

[personal profile] tehomet 2013-10-07 08:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Good luck!
oursin: Brush the Wandering Hedgehog by the fire (Default)

[personal profile] oursin 2013-10-07 08:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm probably deeply cynical, but I read her scattered-shot 'come and read my story!!!' message as a request for reviews, rather than for editing assistance.
azurelunatic: Azz Antispam dreamsheep, curled up in the snow with a heart sign (spam: antispam 2013)

[personal profile] azurelunatic 2013-10-07 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I can accept over-enthusiasm in reaching out.

When multiple people reach back and say "this is spammy" -- the correct response is not to then delete their messages as spam.