Commercial Editors?

[Delicious Blonde]

Hi y'all...I'm a new writer here and was wondering how one might go about actually writing stories for a living. I think I might have a little talent but probably lack the skills for commercial stuff. Is that where a good editor comes in?

http://www.literotica.com/stories/memberpage.php?uid=216565

I hope that link thingy worked....not blonde by bottle! on page 22 of authors in case it didn't.....Thanks!

 

[Delicious Blonde]

sorry blonde....no one will be answering this one!

 

[KillerMuffin]

Is this where a good editor comes in?

Not exactly. Lit's volunteer editor service is supposed to be for stories you intend to submit to Literotica. This is not policed, of course. These editors are not paid and their skills range from a good dictionary and an interest in a subject all the way to professional editors (those are almost impossible to come by, by the way).

Commercial fiction is very different. You have to pay people--usually called 'script doctors or book doctors--to look over your writing and offer you critique.

Professional editors are paid by publishers for the purpose of preparing the written word for publication. They are not paid to help you out. There are some who will, but most will just quietly drop a form rejection notice in your SASE and move on to the next story in the slush pile. (Slush pile is the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that every editor collects.)

If you want to break into commercial writing and you want help with your writing, you can join writer's groups online or off, you can pay people to offer professional (and not guaranteed) opinions, or you can just start submitting to paying markets.

If you want to write for money, I would suggest you spend a little time in the local library reading the articles they have printed in the front of the Writer's Market. Reading Writer's Digest or other writer's publications--usually found at the library--will help you out, too. How to write books can be helpful as well, if you find good ones. I recommend Michael Seidman's Fiction: the Art and Craft of Writing.

Then, there are two things you must do. Read and write as much as possible and then some.

Lastly, read the publications you are interested in selling your work to. Make sure your work fits their needs. They will also have an address of some sort (web or snailmail) where you can request a copy of their writer's guidelines. <-- Extremely important.

You will get rejection notices. Everyone gets rejected. Don't let it discourage you.

 

[Delicious Blonde]

Thanks Muffin...I'll keep at it then....

 

[Jan_Comenius]

rejection notices

Muffin, I beg to differ.

The VERY FIRST STORY I ever sent out as an unsolicited "cold" manuscript got accepted by the VERY FIRST EDITOR that saw it. It CAN happen.

Only after that did my pile of rejection letters begin to grow...and grow...and grow...









...and grow...






Those who can, do,
Those who can't, teach,
Those who can't teach, write,
Those who can't write, teach teachers,
And those who can't teach teachers,
Administrate.

Don't settle for last place, blonde!

 

[wornoutkeyboard]

blonde...

Certainly you can get unsolicited MSs accepted. Of course it happens or places would never accept unolicited MSs.

HOWEVER...being an ardent editor of your own works is an excellent way to increase your chances. Until you get proficient (and even after) you should join workshops that will help you clean up the rough edges, until you grow a more critical eye of your own.

And as far as submitting goes... submit EVERYWHERE! Thats what I did. I mean, I used the hell out of the "simultaneous submissions accepted" publishers. Seriously... submit EVERYWHERE and CONSTANTLY. Hell... I still even collect rejection notices up in a little binder. And I love going back and finding out that one publisher that had previously rejected my work accepted other works later.

And if you are lucky enough to get an editor that cares to write any critique... even if its a one line posty...take it seriously. Don't live your life by it...but take it seriously.

I'd be lying if I didn't say that having an agent hasn't helped tremendously. It is absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to my career. But, it took 15 works that had been published thru my own sweat and toil before good agents would even look in my general direction.

Oh yes...and to get back in the area of my origional train of thought...

If you want a good editor and don't want to pay a lot...consider hiring a local college student or hiring for low cost a local creative writing teacher to do some edit work for ya. Or better yet...enroll yourself in a CW course at the local JC. Then you'll get all the "free" editing you could ever want.

~WOK

 

[KillerMuffin]

Re: rejection notices

Muffin, I beg to differ.

The VERY FIRST STORY I ever sent out as an unsolicited "cold" manuscript got accepted by the VERY FIRST EDITOR that saw it. It CAN happen.

You did not differ. If you did, then please explain so I don't make the same mistake again. Thank you.

 

[Jan_Comenius]

oopsala

I'm still too lazy to do anything other than write these posts in this little box, no spell-check, no double-checking, nothing. Unfortunately, I was also very well-tutored in the masochistic art of rewriting ad nauseum, and that occasionally leads to slight oopalas in my unedited work. You may remember that on a recent post on another thread, SexySoBeChick caught me with my pants down and savored her revenge.

"Muffin, I beg to differ," came at fifty minutes and only after two more hours did I actually post.

Originally, the line read, "Muffin, I beg to differ with the notion that rejection letters are an inevitable part of life, although that notion is espoused in all the best writing manuals. In point of fact, &c."

A fit of hack-and-slash came over me just before I posted and the version above appeared, much to my later chagrin.

Please accept my most sincere apologies, and, if I might be so bold (and StudMuffin being willing to believe I mean no slight)...