While waiting for feedback, LEAVE YOUR MANUSCRIPT ALONE!

The work of a writer is never really done. We are constantly tinkering with that manuscript, because there is always something that could be changed to make it better. But eventually, there comes a point when we have to put that manuscript into the metaphorical drawer and leave it alone.

When that manuscript is in the hands of another person, that's the perfect time to ignore that manuscript. Resist the urge to fix that typo or change that sentence. Just forget about it. Because if you keep tinkering, then the comments that come back might no longer be valid.

But some writers believe they have the perfect solution for this: Just send the editor the latest version. Never might that the editor is now screaming into the void, because everything that they had done up until that point has been made redundant and they have to start over again. But, at least they have the right version now, right?

Excuse me while I sit here with the phone at arm's length as my editing buddies go into a complete meltdown over the situation.

And the fallout is never pretty.

AI-Generated vs AI-Assisted: Where I draw the line

If you aren't sure what I'm talking about when I say ChatGPT… What rock have you been living under?

Writers around the world (novelists, screenwriters, poets, short story writers, etc.) became concerned when ChatGPT exploded onto the scene in late 2022. No one really knew what it could do or how far it would go. And the market became flooded with AI-generated stories—most of which were not worth the 1s and 0s used to create them. But ChatGPT evolved… and so did the concerns.

In 2023, it came to light the copyright nightmare that was ChatGPT, and we're still trying to deal with that as an industry. Amazon added tags to their KDP system, requiring that publishers specify if a body of work was created using artificial intelligence (AI). Lines were being drawn about the ethical usage of the technology, and lawsuits were filed against OpenAI (and other AI developers) regarding their abuse of copyright laws in sourcing the materials used for training of the algorithms.

We are now in 2024, and there is still so much we don't know or can't agree on regarding the usage of AI within publishing. There is only one thing that is certain: AI is here to stay.

As writers and editors, we are now being forced to make decisions about how we will conduct business. It's about drawing a line between AI-generated works and AI-assisted works.

The Thriller Writer Amongst Romance Writers

I value my connection with the local writing community. When I started on my writing journey, it was the knowledge and experience of other writers that helped me to see where I can improve and how to do it. I wouldn't be the writer I am today without the other writers I've met over the years. It's my support network, and when the self-doubt monster attacks, that support network is vital.

Under ideal circumstances, writers should associate with other writers who write similar genres and enjoy reading similar stories, but that's not always possible. Sometimes, personality plays a role, as do ambitions and dreams. In those cases, there are other options available, if you are willing to reach outside your comfort zone.

Every writer needs to learn to say “No”

Not everyone uses Google

Over the past few months, I have encountered multiple instances where someone would invite me to a Google Calendar, or send me a Google Doc file, ask that I fill in a restricted-access Google Form, or any other number of things that you can do with Google. And in every instance, those invites have been sent to my work email (a custom domain email for the Black Wolf Editorial domain). And in every instance, there has been some issue that all comes down to the lack of access to Google products.

Because Google has become mainstream and so embedded in our everyday lives, there is this assumption that every email address on the planet can access a Google product. But it's an assumption. And when you assume things, you make an "ass" out of "u" and "me".

In today's post, I want to deviate from talking about writing and editing specifically, and I want to highlight the issues associated with this Google assumption.

You don’t have to use an editor’s proposed solution.

The job of a developmental editor is to highlight areas within a manuscript that are problematic and provide possible solutions on how to fix those problems. However, it's the writer's job to fix those identified problems in a way that works for the story and holds true to the writer's vision for that story.

That doesn't mean that the writer is supposed to just bow down and do exactly what the editor tells them to do. The editor could be wrong. But it's up to the writer to make that choice.

In today's post, I want to talk about my own experiences of working with editors on my own manuscripts and how I, as a writer, had to make the choice to tell my editor "no" to his solution and do it my own way.

5 ways to drive your editor batty

Every editor has a few pet peeves, things that irritate them when they see them. But we editors suffer in silence, correcting those issues and moving on to the next page of the manuscript. But there are editors like me who happily turn those pet peeves into blog posts, showing the world how irritating they can be.

Today's post dives into some of the things that writers do that can drive an editor to the coo-coo train.

(Now, watch, some of my writing buddies will turn this into a challenge to see if they can work all of these things into their next writing piece that they share with me.)

Your book is in Barnes & Noble, and you’re complaining?

It was a random post that came across my feeds about how the science fiction and fantasy author Fonda Lee was complaining that she was competing against dead authors. I will grant you that it was an old post, dating back to 2019, but it was one that struck up a bit of negative emotions in me.

In her local Barnes & Noble bookstore, she had discovered that J. R. R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan were taking up roughly four shelves of space. She went on to complain about how there was only one copy of one of her own book on the shelves.

While I understand what it is she's complaining about, what she's trying to highlight to the world at large, my initial reaction was: "Get over it!" As I read through the article, my reaction started to include a level of irritation aimed at Fonda Lee and other writers like her who are complaining about not seeing their books in brick-and-mortar bookstores.

Communications is the key

It might seem obvious, but for whatever reason, it isn't. Occasionally, I get the odd email that actually tells me more about the writer than anything else. And when my spidy-sense kick in, I tend to have one response: "Danger, Judy L Mohr. Danger."

I've written before about how those initial communications with an editor play a big role in the working relationship. I've written on the topic a few times, in fact. And there were a few occasions where I've described how I turned a client down because of it.

In today's post, I want to show you how your messages could easily lead to the incorrect assessment of the situation, which could also have a negative impact on a potential working relationship.

Are we dumbing down language?

Recently, I took a grammar refresher course to help with some aspects of my editing. I took the course because often enough I encounter something in ProWritingAid or in conversations with other editors that I don't understand. The terminology occasionally goes over my head. So, I thought that perhaps a refresher course would help with some of the terminology confusion.

The course certainly did do that, and I was glad I took the course. However, there were a few comments that actually irritated me—and they all revolved around this philosophy that we're dumbing down language.