Category: editing
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What is Line Editing?
In a previous post, I wrote about the dev (developmental) editing process, during which the dev editor works with the author to shape the ideas and structure for a book or story. Now I’m going to tell you a little about line editing. Line editing? Sometimes called substantive editing, line editing is the gratifying but…
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What is Line Editing?
Line Editing can improve the quality of your manuscript and the quality of your work by revealing the strengths, weaknesses, and style of your writing.
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An Editor Can Uphold or Dismantle Systemic Racism
The racial composition of the publishing industry impedes our nation’s efforts to reconcile with its past, atone for its crimes, and learn from its mistakes.
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Things A Writer Needs
If you’re considering writing your first book, you may be wondering what you’ll need to get started and what you’ll need to keep going. Here’s a short(ish) list of the things I recommend to clients at various stages of their writing journeys, whether they’re starting out, smack in the middle, or have finally finished that…
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A Few Thoughts on “Playing Both Sides”
My mom’s a Puerto Rican, my dad’s a Jew , and I grew up in The Bronx. Last week on LinkedIn, Linda Espinosa Valencia reposted a TikTok of storyteller Christopher Rivas talking about how easily, when it comes to racist dynamics, brown people can play “both sides.” To Christopher Rivas’ observation I add, and when they’re mixed, they…
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Safe Spaces for Creatives of Color Need to Remain Safe
In 2021, I was President of the Northwest Editors Guild in Seattle. The previous year, George Floyd had been murdered in broad daylight and white people had gotten very afraid of being called out. In 2020, it seemed like every damn organization in the country had released a statement against racism (or some bullshit like…
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Rewriting Your Own Story is Sometimes the Most Important Revision of All
For writers who come from marginalized backgrounds, this is particularly important. As they say, “representation matters.”
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5 Things Writers-of-Color Should Look For In Their Book Editor
I recently attended a Northwest Editor’s Guild event called “Authors on Editing,” during which three writers spoke about their experiences working with editors. I gleaned a lot of useful information from the panel discussion, and it’s always great to meet other editors. But as great as the event was, I couldn’t help noticing what was not said,…
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The Self Publishing Revolution…
By now, every writer — and probably ever reader — knows that the publishing world has undergone a radical makeover in the last ten years or so. Thanks to Amazon and a variety of self-publishing platforms like Lulu and CreateSpace, writers no longer have to rely on “the big 5” to get their words…
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On The Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character
A few weeks ago, I reread a series of online newspaper columns I’d written in 2011. The writing was clear, informative and grammatically sound, but it was also …boring. Around the same time, I picked up a copy of “To Show and To Tell” by Phillip Lopate*. In this book, dedicated to the craft of…
Represent! Editorial & Consulting 