The Truth About Writing: Through My Eyes

Today I want to talk about the truth in writing.

Several years ago, I met Kevin Caraccioli, writer of Sail Away and Fly Away, both from the series of The Adventures of Kevin Bonbevin. He was signing his books at a local book store. At the time, I was attempting to find my place in the literary world, and I was fumbling with being an author. As I was getting a book signed for my niece, I asked him, "What advice do you have for an aspiring author?"

The response he gave me will be forever ingrained in my mind, and I hold on to this concept on a daily basis.

"Don't write for anyone else. Write for yourself."

I've thought long and hard about this idea many times. It's easy to get caught up in What's popular right now? and  What can I write that will sell with the general population right now? But that's the wrong way to go about it. If it's in your heart to write a love story or a Christian story about getting closer to God, do that. Don't write a vampire story because that's what's popular. Don't write about time travel because it will currently sell more books. Write what's in your heart. Write the story that your imagination builds, and let that be the writing that shines through. Those will be the well-written, captivating stories. Not the ones that are forced to appeal to the current popularity contest.

I recently received a strange email from someone I reached out to about editing their work. The response I got was strange, and to me, screamed of greed and disrespect for the process. They asked me to edit a sample of work that was old, poorly written, and not even a piece of their own work that they were interested in publishing. (Let me be clear, I will edit whatever anyone wants/needs me to edit. That's not where my problem lies with this situation.) They told me that they would only pay me my rate (or even lower!) for a heavy copyedit if I had ties with NYC big name publishers/agents.

I'm sorry, but that's just not how it works. It's okay to pay someone to edit your piece before you turn it in to an agent, simply for the means of turning in something more appealing to a bigger publishing house. This leads to a greater chance of someone picking up your story, and that's fine. It's not okay to agree to pay the editor's asking rate only if said editor has high profile connections. It's not okay to focus only on making money and step on whoever you can to get the wealth you desire.

I've read a lot of blogs, articles, watched videos, and done a lot of research about the entire process; editing, advertising, book cover art, traditional publishing vs. self-publishing, and more. I feel that I have pretty good base knowledge of the industry. I'm not an expert, but I'm well-informed and that makes me grateful that I can make intelligent decisions about who I edit for.

I've read lots of interviews/blogs/etc. of other freelance copyeditors, and there is one recurring theme that I can completely agree with: Getting good quality literature out for the public to enjoy is a top priority.

Notice that it doesn't say: Make a big paycheck. Be famous. Make other people famous.

Here is an excerpt of the letter I sent back to this author:

"I am not in the business of hurting feelings or bullying, but I am also not in the habit of coddling, skirting issues or paying lip service. You will always get an honest opinion and helpful advice from me, no matter what. I do not see editing as merely a source of income, but as a way for me to help authors get their stories heard, cleanly published, and to make sure your image is treated respectfully. 

... copyeditors will be your bread and butter. Specifically, editors such as (but not limited to) myself. I specialize in indie, small-time, hard-working authors. I'm not in it for the big check. I'm in it because literature is important, and bringing good literature into the world should be so much more emphasized than it is. A professional, hard-working copyeditor will not only cover grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc., but will also show you holes/gaps in the story, be sincere and impartial to content (Is it boring? Does it make sense? Are the characters developed well? Does the story move too slowly? and so much more), and ought to be able to help you strip down a story to bare bones if need be and rebuild it strong and well-written."

And I stand behind those statements 100%.

So to summarize today's post: Write from the heart. That is where the best stories lie.

Thanks for stopping by!