Sucks me in EVERY time….

I’m in edit mode.

(Run, hide, now…it makes me grrry….no, not really. Kidding, kind of….maybe not.) Psycho much in our house???

I finally decided to focus on the editorial comments from Laurin Wittig (she was a great recommendation from a fellow writer, JT Bock, and author, JA Konrath) – it’s been a while (a long while), and I’ve been a little busy with CatKlaw and paying the bills. Or as the case may be, paying OFF some bills. Pffft. Gotta love how life tangles you up in confusion and reality. And yes, I’m all about responsiblity….just dare to ask what I did in the last month to make sure things were caught up. And yes, I was avoiding the comment…call me an ostrich…

Although, probably not wise to do so to my face, I might, must might, kick you

Cat will say I wasn’t paying attention to the family enough. And, I’m sure I wasn’t….blah. Our VA Beach vacation sucked for me, I was working. Booo.

Now, let me explain. I get paid to edit documents…technical and sales materials.

That’s my JOB, and I’m damn good at it. I may be a freelancer, but I have steady work, thank the universe, and I enjoy what I do, even though I might curse and WHEN those hours happen.

I am not being egotistical about it, I’m being truthful. I worked my tail off to make sure I had a business focus that would support my creative bent. God bless my mother.

Thanks to the whimsical nature of publishing and the music industry, you can see my reasoning. (Point in case, Charlaine Harris wrote the Sookie books..what we all know now as True Blood… TEN YEARS AGO…) See, there’s logic there. I promise. Combine the business writing craziness with insane deadlines…people pay me good money to work on their proposals. Hell, I even enjoy it (see, I must be insane and I should add…most times I do enjoy it LOL.) I am NOT counting Stephanie Meyers amazing results OR JK Rowling’s work…both were a true, phenomenon in our society.

However, when focused on my fiction writing, I have a different (contrary) view than the industry norm on paying someone to go through and edit/read my material. My reasoning?

One, I consider writing a learning process. I paid my college professors, correct? And, I learned something. I paid for classes to teach me how to write and manage proposals, yes? Yes. I continually pay other writers who lead workshops or teach classes to help me learn. RWA and Candace Havens have some GREAT classes. Candy’s are FREE (mostly) ….if you don’t sign up for them…you and me…dark alley. Bring it.

Why is paying an editor….a GOOD editor, different?

This is so far off the recommended path, turn back now if you don’t want to hear it.

If they’re not out to make money on my story, but offering a service for a fee (teaching me something…and I learn…key is LEARN) then by all means, pay the editor. Especially if you don’t have the time/inclination to deal with the arbitrary contest responses (I’ve had great scores and wtf I don’t understand responses…makes a writer nutty) and crit group responses. And yes, I actually review works for contests…I just try to review as a reader and a professor.

As for critique groups? It is very hard to build a GOOD crit group. For the record, I love my dispersed group, we are all over the world, but we’re all learning and none ‘published’ (Cat no offense, I’ve never sent you my work to read nor vice verse, not that I wouldn’t LOVE to share!)

It takes time.

I’ll write another post on THAT, later. (Suffice to say there is an art to being in a crit group that so many have not learned.) I have had more than enough of both. And, I don’t have the time to get out and meet weekly with a crit group like I used to, damn, I wished I did. But husband, child, work, training,…and writing…no way, no how. Our Sparkling Hearts group gets together at least once a month to have lunch and encourage each other.

For my Fiction now?

Now, I want a professional opinion, someone published,…and I paid for it. It’s not like the agents I’ve been querying or the publishers have had the time to offer me anything other than their standards rejections. I understand that. They are overwhelmed and not knocking them for that. They only get paid on the stories they accept and sell. I get that and would be the same way if I were in their shoes based on the current model.

I believe in my series. So, with Phyxe, I paid Laurin for her time and expertise to highlight where I needed to focus, where the gaps were,..where my challenges were. She was DEAD ON. I’m working on those edits now…crafting and honing a better story. Will I look for an agent? Maybe….or..will I? I still have my team….I read their stuff (awesome ideas) and they read my stuff (drivel but improving). We encourage and help each other…that’s our JOB. I’ll likely look for an agent the same reason JA Konrath has one, to negotiate rights.

Question for you…if you REALLY believed in your writing & skills…would you go out of your way to pay a professional editor to look over your work? Or do you just expect, you send it off, it’s glorious and the agent/publisher accept it?

Honestly, pay up front, like you would for a class, to get feedback…or wait, and wait, and wait some more to get a “thank you but you don’t fit what we’re looking for.” I don’t knock that…it means I have not done my JOB in writing the best damn story I can.

So, more work. Deal.

I’m about improving my skills and telling the story. What are you about?

Two, with digital publishing…I can pay a GREAT editor to review my work, rework it, …and then go format it for Amazon or Smashwords. If I price my book at least at $2.99, I net 70% of the cover price. (Go check out JA Konrath‘s in depth focus on digital publishing. Seriously. Do it now.) The key is…WRITE A GOOD BOOK. And, hello, pay a good editor to review you and a good illustrator to make a GREAT cover. And, learn everything you can about marketing it all. You’d be marketing it anyway if a print publisher picked you up. And, I can publish both fiction and non-fiction. My NF is doing GREAT!.

Both reasons have been the best money I’ve spent in my writing evolution. We won’t count the few college classes during my MASTER’s program that really hit home.

Why all this? Because I wasn’t looking to for my (paid) editor or (paid) illustrator to publish the story or represent me.

I respect their time and I believe in my skills and talent. My editor? She’s a busy, PUBLISHED author and goes out of her way to closely review each and every manuscript that she signs up to look at. She doesn’t offer comments like “this doesn’t work for me” – you get comments, helpful suggestions, and years of experience. My illustrator? She’s working freelance, writing and illustrating. We’re all in this together. Will they love it if I succeed? Hell yes. They’ll get acknowledgments and kudos, which will only lead to paying work for them. One of the BEST forms of advertising, genuine referrals.

Move outside the realm of current reality.

Make it happen. And hello, reach outside the current mind set of ‘this is how it works and this is how you make money’. Be willing to think outside the box. It’s working for so many authors. Make it work for you…keep learning, keep changing…KEEP WRITING.

And seriously, if it isn’t working for you? You’re not working HARD enough to perfect your craft in the current age. Do I want an agent? Yes. Will I continue to query agents? Yes.

Will I publish my stories when I feel they’re ready?

Hell yes.

And, I will just watch the outcome. Either people will eat them up, or they won’t. But truthfully? I started out writing for myself.

Namaste,
Sybir/Stacia

PS – Happy Birthday to me!!! We’re not having a party…and seriously, I don’t think there is a darn thing planned….drat. LOL. I should have sent out invites to come hang out. Have just been to darn busy. But as pup said…”You’re turning 27, Mommy.”

Right, for the 10th time. They’re all anniversaries after that 27th.