The View from Athens
I feel like I blinked and missed October.
So here I am on November 1, sitting in the shadow of this…
I arrived on Saturday to prepare for the writing retreat I had been planning for Athens for two amazing nonfiction writers. They arrived on Sunday and Monday and we’re now pretty well settled into our apartment in the Plaka. With comfortable busy balconies over the street, and a serene, surprisingly silent garden off the back, plus a roof deck to soak up the Mediterranean sun and Acropolis view, suffice it to say we’re feeling inspired.
These writers are working on two different projects - a memoir and a thought-leadership book - and are at two different points in the process - revising a draft, and just getting started - but are finding much in common across their stories and what brings them to the page.
As for me, I’m trying not to talk too much (IYKYK) and listen and admire as their stories come to life.
I’ll let you know how it goes ;-)
While they’re working hard this morning, I thought I’d check in over here and see how you’re doing this November.
For some writers, November is #NaNoWriMo or #AcWriMo, a chance to commit to 30 days of writing goals, whether it’s a word count or a revision, or even just starting a daily writing practice. Something about the coming of Fall, the closeness (but not too close) of the end of the year, and the call to make space for yourself in your own life pushes writers to do some really inspiring work every November.
How about you? What goals are you going to meet before 2024 is out?
In the spirit of checking all those 2023 boxes, I wanted to let you know that I’m offering 25% off all developmental edits (of manuscripts and proposals) through the end of the year.
Whether you’ve been working on that manuscript for 5 years, or only just this month, but you finally have enough for a review; when you have rocked out that proposal, but you know needs a good overview… let me know.
And if you’re so close, and want to snag a dev. edit spot on my calendar at the start of 2024, that’s okay too. This discount applies to any edits booked this year, but you can schedule them for next year no problem.
Speaking of developmental edits, I’ve been having a number of conversations lately with both writers and editors about how writers looking for coaching often ask for a dev. editor, and not all dev. editors are coaches. I happen to do both, but that’s not necessarily the case.
(Coincidental side note: I just gave a talk at the ACES: The Society for Editors conference alongside the fabulous Nadia Geagea Pupa of The Editor’s Half Hour podcast on how dev. editors in this situation might be coaching and not even realizing it!)
I was also asked to do a final proofread on a chapter on book coaching I wrote for an upcoming editing anthology for academic writers, and I honestly had no idea what I was supposed to do. After I sent my comments back, the editor (kindly) let me know I may have completely misunderstood the assignment!
So I asked some of my editor friends (the copyeditor, line editor, and proofreader ones) what some of the misconceptions they encounter most from writers and fellow editors are, and what are some things they wish writers (like me) knew before working with them.
Here’s what some of them said:
Rebecca Scharpf, who is a copyeditor, line editor, proofreader, manuscript reviewer, and beta reader for indie authors, gets right to the heart of being an editor.
Every problem is fixable, and we're here to help fix them! I think some authors have the idea that editors are out there to judge their work and point out everything that's missed the mark. In reality, we're here to make their work shine as brightly as possible and help them continue growing as authors.
Editors are a writer’s best friend, having their back, and supporting them to the finish line.
Hannah Mueller, a copyeditor, dev. editor, and coach for academic writers, shared her thoughts the role of an editor in the writer-editor relationship:
[All] editors are here to take the manuscript to the next level and support, not judge. I also sometimes describe my role as a reader advocate: my job is to help the writer think deeply about their audience and speak directly to those particular readers. I'm not a judge enforcing standards, I'm an intermediary between the writer and reader, helping the writer articulate their purpose in a way that resonates with the reader.
I love her concept of the reader-advocate. Whatever an editor is doing, whether it’s keeping you in “style” or proofing that final draft, they’re doing it for you first!
Finally, Rebecca offered a bit of practical advice, too.
If a writer doesn't know what type of service they need or what the technical term is, it's super handy if they have a list of things they need help with. For example, "I need help with grammar and spelling" or "I need help ensuring the plot holds together" or "I want my sentences to flow better." This helps me match them with a service appropriate to their needs, even if they don't have the specific terminology (and especially since some terminology varies from editor to editor or possibly country to country). If they have any style sheets or even personal notes they think might be helpful, that's also very handy!
If you’ve reached the point in your work where you think you need an editor, but don’t know what it’s called or what to ask for, reach out to any editor and follow Rebecca’s advice. The nice part about us, is that we tend to be a pretty small, friendly bunch, and always know someone who can help exactly the way you need.
Ok, so back to Athens.
Last night we wandered the Acropolis at sunset and down to the Acropolis Museum where I may have rambled on a bit about my thoughts on the British Museum and the return of the Parthenon Marbles (feel free to DM me if you want to know what I really think!) And one of the conversations that keeps coming up is, “how long is history.”
How long does something have to last for, or be from far enough in the past, to count as history? What does lasting impact look like and how do we incorporate that into our present?
As nonfiction writers, you have a powerful responsibility. You are setting down a marker, a moment in time, where you book, your story, becomes its own historical event, the point from which we can count forward with new knowledge and new perspective.
How will you make an impact?
Are you writing it yet?
Don’t let anyone or anything stop you.