PLACE TO WRITE ONLINE FREE

Many book writing apps are designed with the physical writing process in mind. Iain Reid’s “This Writing Life” appears regularly in these pages.There are a seemingly endless array of apps for writing a book, and they each help you solve a different writing-related problem.The writer can be a writer and start out with little method or order, where it’s both unclear and bright, between reality and invention, on those ethereal fringes of an idea. So early on, during that first stage, is the time for unchecked recklessness and excitement. Prior to discussions, before the writer has even written anything, an editor’s presence is reassuringly felt. Once a writer has previously worked with an editor and a relationship is established, it’s possible an editor’s worth might actually be greatest before they’ve even read any new material. Alone, editors are antsy, and writers are vulnerable.

PLACE TO WRITE ONLINE FREE

Once that mutualism and trust are formed, both roles are free to succeed. But there’s no sense of competition or combat, only a shared goal of improvement. There are moments of (possibly) heated dispute. There is plenty of reflection, attentive debate and critical discussion. Editing is its own craft a remarkable skill held by few. It’s not just about a fresh viewpoint and an offer of objectivity. It’s something like mathematical sincerity offering an instinctive dedication and sharp eye to coherence and harmony.Įditing, I learned, isn’t helping a writer write. Work that had nothing to do with spelling fixes or canned pasta.Īs we sent drafts back and forth and chatted over the phone, or over coffee when possible, my understanding and appreciation of editing intensified. Indeed, there was lots of work still to do. We talked about different characters and dialogue. We discussed pace and development and consistency. As we progressed, we talked a lot, about structure, and chunks that could be shifted or trimmed and areas that could be lengthened.

This time she explained (more explicitly) the actual process of editing, that the book wasn’t a book, not yet. How I’d sent back the first round of revisions after only two weeks with inconsequential tweaks. It’s something Janie and I joke about now, her a little more heartily. For years the idea of editing called to mind circled spelling mistakes and Chef Boyardee. I would hand in my column and hover behind them, having moved on to a bowl of Beefaroni, as they identified each and every spelling mistake. I’d leave it until the last minute, start a pot of Lady Gray brewing and scribble out what I could recall from my latest trouncing. If I wasn’t ready to file, that was my problem. When a deadline was set, it never wavered. My siblings held me to a rigorous standard. I tried my best to paint each blistering defeat in a more optimistic shade, blaming poor lawn conditions for my instability running the football instead of my unending fear of being tackled by Jimmy. My sister had no interest in sports so every game played at the farm was between Jimmy and I. I was responsible for covering any matches of consequence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

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Place to write online