My writing buddy and I have been meeting since April 30th. We are both enjoying each others' stories and the critiques. We met again last night. It worked out really well. Though I've been sick since last Friday, she wasn't concerned (I'm on antibiotics). We giggled and laughed and then got down to business.
She has been seriously considering self-publishing because she's been afraid of what an editor might do to her work, changes that she wouldn't be comfortable with, and just losing control of her story. All valid thoughts.
I'm not against self-publishing per se. I've been seeing more and more success stories and it gives me hope.
However, once we began looking at her chapters, she was astounded by what an editor can bring to the table. There were many places where her wording didn't work. There were also 'mistakes' in the continuity of her story. She would have an event happen, forgetting that she didn't lay any groundwork for it. Or she would forget to follow through. Using the same word over and over can make a story boring. I told her to use the search and replace feature in Word to help her get rid of redundant words. Lots of little things that I've learned over the past two years with my editor.
We are both more than pleased with our progress. Having a supportive friend reading your work aloud is really an awesome tool. I'm very glad my friend was open to this way of growing.
Life is wonderful.
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