 | 12 May 06 |
Does the volume of work equal growth as a writer? Unequivocally, yes. Practice makes perfect. The more you do it the more proficient you become.
OK, so that takes care of my blog for today. 
Seriously. Since my murderous colleagues have so proficiently posted this week regarding their own thoughts on the subject, and named examples of this in writers we know today, followed by the many comments, I think we’ve pretty much hit everything. I would like to add though, I think a good editor can help an author leap over some of the more mundane aspects of growing. It is after all their job to make the story they purchased as strong as it can be. But have you ever wondered why when you read some stuff and cringe why the editor didn’t step in? Some authors don’t listen.
I’ve heard a few stories recently where editors have made strong suggestions for change, the author ignored them and well, the reviews have been less then glowing. I know a few writers who resist any for of criticism. Growth also means being open-minded to change.
Since I tend to write what I know, ‘hot cops’, and there are endless ways of bad guys killing, I don’t think I’ll ever be much at a lose for plots, but I do wonder if in characterization I may get stale. I’ve seen so many really awesome authors who write the same heroes in each book matched up with the same heroine. I don’t want to become one of those authors.
One of the first things I told both of my editors when I met them was, “beat me up and spit me out. I can take the heat.” They both assured me that wouldn’t be necessary. So far it hasn’t but still…I want to be challenged as an author, and who better to do that then my editor?
OK, so enough on growth. Now to the fun stuff, we murderous wench’s are running another contest this month. The prizes will be a veritable cornucopia of goodies. Autographed books, gift certificates and other fun stuff. The list will go up shortly. It’s pretty simple. Every day you comment you get an entry into the contest. So if you comment on all five posts for the week, that’s 5 entries. Contest begins-Now!
On a personal note, at the request of the ladies over at Magical Musings, hubby wrote a poem. It’s funny. Go take a look.
I have a busy weekend ahead. Copy edits for GGGB, and write, write, write.
And to all of you moms out there, Happy Mother’s Day. I personally believe we should have a week, but I’ll settle for a day.
Ciao for now.
K*
© 2006 – 2009, Karin Tabke. All rights reserved.
A Cop’s Wife Writes the Cop’s Life:
Award winning author, Karin Tabke isn’t just another author with steamy stories to tell, but a cop’s wife who has “seen it all and heard it all.†Some of the hottest stories come from behind the blue wall of law enforcement rather than from in front. Married to a street cop, now retired, Karin is intimate with both and proves it with her sizzling tales and hot cops. Not only are her cops hot, but so are her sexy knights. Karin’s Blood Sword Legacy series is a must read for anyone who loves tales of yore when men were men and women were women, and love did conqueror all!
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Gary is a hoot. And I assume quite good at research…er I mean you look quite happy.
You brought up two really good thoughts in your blog.
1) to challenge yourself
I guess as a reader (and poet) I assume that a writer would try to challenge themselves, but I know that isn’t always the truth.
2) to take criticism
by Cele May 12th, 2006 at 8:32 amI agree that a lot of writers can’t handle or deal with criticisms. Sometimes that is the fault of the person doing the critiquing – you have to have thin skin, but firm belief to crit right. I say thin skin, because I believe you have to be able to consider how you phrase your critique to not destroy but to build.
As an editor, how do you publish an author who isn’t willing to correct for a better book? I’ve wondered this a lot. If I read a book that is dreck I blame both the author and the editor.
‘If I read a book that is dreck I blame both the author and the editor.’
by Karin May 12th, 2006 at 8:40 amOh, me too, Cele! Conversely, I’ll give props to the editor of a great book. I read Beth Kendrick’s MY FAVORITE MISTAKE last year. As I read I kept saying to myself, “this book is so well edited, I want this editor!” It was Amy Peirpont at Pocket, who I have met and have the utmost respect for. Of course having gone through the revision process with my editor, Lauren, I have to say, she’s the best.
I think with many big name authors the editors don’t argue. Maybe the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ mentality applies.
Eventually, the readers will fall off.
Great post, Karin! I hear from so many writers who say their editor improves their books and how much they learn from them. That’s the relationship I want some day soon. Until then I’m relying on you and our other two CPs to keep me growing as a writer. Cele’s so right about phrasing our critiques to build instead of tearing down. We’re all getting skilled at Gentle Butt Kicks.
by Edie Ramer May 12th, 2006 at 9:02 amYes, yes, yes! A good editor is worth her/his weight in gold.
My editor has definitely made me a better writer.
by Allison May 12th, 2006 at 9:40 amKarin,
by Tracey Lyons May 12th, 2006 at 9:47 amI think the other interesting point to note about authors or writers not listening to their editors is that eventually as their numbers drop they will be dropped from the publishers list. Remember for publishers it’s all about the bottom line, $$$$. Tough to take, I know. This is just my thought on the subject.
Yeah. I know of a lot of writers who need a good editor. When a book is a hundred pages too long, a writer needs a new editor.
To some extent, I think this applies to JK Rowling. I think that each book is getting longer also partly because each book has more fat. I see that each book has more plot, but I still think they could have been shorter.
by May May 12th, 2006 at 9:49 amEdie, you know I like a good butt kicking with pointy-toed boots.
by Karin May 12th, 2006 at 10:03 amAllison, Charlotte is awesome. I think editors are the greatest thing.
Tracey, you got it, $$$ it’s all about that bottom line.
May, I hate a book that’s too looooooooonnnnnngggggggg…
Hey Karin, you nailed it on editors! And you hit it on authors taking the input as well. I also pay attention to my copy editor too.
by Jen May 12th, 2006 at 10:14 amThat’s what I’m doing right now, Jen. My CE really knows his stuff.
by Karin May 12th, 2006 at 10:23 amSoooo, if everyone agrees that writers are always growing, why doesn’t every author listen to their editor? It can’t just be ego (no one’s can be that big) or the ‘if it ain’t broke’ scenario. There must be something else in play to not pay attention to the person trying to build you and your career.
by Amanda May 12th, 2006 at 11:25 amThere can be bad editors. Good editors, great editors, bring out the best in the writer. They say, “You need to add this, or take out that, or make this character thread stronger, and don’t come back until you do.” I’ve had another kind of editor, with a well-known publisher, who rewrote my words. They were good words, too. This person decided my writing wasn’t “female” enough, or “romantic” enough. This editor went through the whole manuscript and changed stuff, willy-nilly. I’m not talking one or two or even ten words or phrases. I’m talking LOTS.
That’s not an editor. That’s a copy editor. But at least with a poor copy editor, you can change things *back*. When the person is an editor, you have to suck it up, and wish you hadn’t already spent the advance.
by J. Carson Black May 12th, 2006 at 11:37 amGreat website. I love the debate. I recently read a critically acclaimed literary novel that by the end had me wanting to toss it across the room. I hated it. It seemed to me the story rambled too much. There were complete passages I completely skipped over looking for the meat of the story. I was totally annoyed by the end and I wondered what the big draw was…but, it made fairly big waves so apparently, I just wasn’t the right reader for that particular book.
Kim
by Kim May 12th, 2006 at 11:38 amJake, you are so right. My editor writes in the margin of my manuscript–general comments like, “This scene doesn’t work for me … can we get rid of it?” or “Love this, but it needs more tension” or “can you get into her head more and tell me what she’s thinking about all this?” and similar things. Sometimes at the end of a chapter she’ll make notes about what works/doesn’t work. She leaves it to me to decide how to fix things. I trust her advice, and she trusts that I can fix it.
I’ve had so many friends lose their editors when they moved houses or whatever; I’m paranoid about that. Fortunately, Ballantine doesn’t seem to have a huge turnover problem that other houses are known for, and the higher up your editor is, the less likely they’ll leave. (At least, that’s what I keep telling myself!)
by Allison May 12th, 2006 at 12:56 pmA really good editor is a pearl beyond price. When I came up with my new series, I tracked down my old editor (she’d moved someplace nice!) and we renewed our relationship. We’re a good team, and she’s a senior editor who does both nonfiction and a few choice mysteries/thrillers, and I’m confident she’ll be there as long as she wants to be. (Oops, superstitious, fingers crossed!)
by J. Carson Black May 12th, 2006 at 2:00 pmOooh, contest! I’m in.
Love the topic. Okay, I don’t have an editor, but I did get a request for a mss, with revisions, from a contest. So, I’m still thinking how to fix what she wanted fixed. She wrote things in the margins like, “Juvenile” and “Crude” (something the hero says), and “This is physical; where’s the connection?” I’m paraphrasing that last one, but she felt the relationship was merely physical at this point and wanted deeper emotion. She thought the heroine acted juvenile at times, and felt the hero wasn’t likeable as written (though she loved him in the query).
I am NOT against changing things. As I told someone else, I’ll put a talking cow in there if she wants it. But I am sort of stymied on how to proceed. There are more comments than those, but those are ones I remembered off the top of my head. Fortunately, she also said she loved the concept and thought the book had potential or I’d still be bawling and shoveling in the Godiva.
In fact, what got me through reading this critique was remembering somewhere that Allison said an agent wrote “Superficial” in big letters across her query and mailed it back. So thanks, Allison. 
by Lynn Raye Harris May 12th, 2006 at 2:46 pm“…but I do wonder if in characterization I may get stale. I’ve seen so many really awesome authors who write the same heroes in each book matched up with the same heroine.”
This is my biggest challenge. In the planning stage I spend a lot of time trying to make sure that my characters aren’t shadows of characters I’ve read or seen somewhere else. Same with plot, am I mimicking a television show or movie I’ve seen? it is so easy to stay there but I want to be original. Especially with plagarism heavy in the air during the recent months.
I dont know why a writer wouldn’t listen to an editor. Just this week I had to put down two books because they were just terrible. One of them was like reading through the redneck version of the movie Dude Where’s My Car? I was left wondering how things like this even make it into print. I haven’t yet pursued publication so I have no first hand experience working with an editor. However, I have heard quite a bit about how important a good editor is but not so much information on how to tell a good editor from a not so good one. I think new writers may worry about preserving the gem they created instead of trusting the ed to help them shine it into a diamond.
by jessiegirl May 12th, 2006 at 2:55 pmY’all have been chatty while I was gone.
‘Soooo, if everyone agrees that writers are always growing, why doesn’t every author listen to their editor? It can’t just be ego (no one’s can be that big) or the ‘if it ain’t broke’ scenario.”
I’m afraid, Amanda ego and arrogance are the mitgating factors here. Well, and maybe stupidity. I just don’t get an author refusing to revise. I do understand if the editor doesnt ‘get’ something about the story. So make her get it.
Jake. An editor told me once to basically ignore the CE who messes with my voice. Are you writing for your old editor?
Kim. Don’t you hate being disappointed by a hyped book?
Glad you like our site. We’re kind of proud of it.
Allison. Lauren edits like Charlotte. Lots of notes in the margins.
Lynn. Congrats on the request with revisions. If this editor didn’t feel strongly about your story she wouldn’t have given you a second chance.
Here’s my take on, ‘“This is physical; where’s the connection?†I’m paraphrasing that last one, but she felt the relationship was merely physical at this point and wanted deeper emotion.’ Simple fix. Show why the h/h feel something for the other. Motivation. i.e. He may be crude but he saved a kitten. Layer the emotion.
Jessie. ‘I think new writers may worry about preserving the gem they created instead of trusting the ed to help them shine it into a diamond.’ So true. When writers stop thinking of thier stories as thier ‘babies’ then progress will occur. Publishing is about selling books, not children.
by Karin May 12th, 2006 at 11:04 pmI think a good editor is somebody who pushes to think about why you did this in Scene Y, whether X character is necessary, etc.
I think every writer should read Book Is Not Baby by Holly Lisle. I think every writer should read her writing articles, and everybody should read her books, period.
by May May 13th, 2006 at 3:36 amTo answer your question, Karin, I moved on. When I was ready to write the series, I almost accidentally came across the name of my old editor–the brilliant one–and let her know about the series.
The other one, the editor who changed my words, was a real editor—an acquiring editor— at a well-known publishing house. I had one book with this person. I got the galleys and saw the changes, and naturally blamed some poor copy editor somewhere. This was when I found out I had been orphaned, and nobody had told me.
I would never, ever work with this person again. Real editors don’t mess with an author’s voice. I don’t understand how this can even be!
by J. Carson Black May 13th, 2006 at 4:14 amSheesh, I’m glad publishing isn’t like selling children, though that might make a good suspense story!
by Allison May 13th, 2006 at 5:56 amRight, Allison! My book was sold into white slavery somewhere in Siberia. It just dropped out of sight, which may be for the best. One thing’s for sure, no one’s gonna send a search party.
Gone, but not forgotten.
by J. Carson Black May 13th, 2006 at 6:42 amThe poem was great! How funny!
Have a great Mother’s Day everyone!
by Kristie May 13th, 2006 at 6:58 amI agree with everybody else— the poem was a blast!
by J. Carson Black May 13th, 2006 at 8:36 amOriginally I think the question was about whether sheer volume means growth. If you keep writing and putting stuff out there, do you get better and better? Not necessarily, I’m guessing. On the other hand – nobody every got worse and worse.
Mo
by Maureen May 13th, 2006 at 6:34 pmI tend to agree with Maureen. Writing more doesn’t necessarily mean writing better books. I’ve seen authors make the same mistake again and again. Great crit partners are invaluable, as is a terrific editor and I feel damned lucky to have both. Back when I got hooked on romances, I loved one historical romance writer because of the historical depth she put in each book, so I picked up her backlist and read them straight through. The hero was the same *type* in each novel, right down to the majority of them having green eyes and black hair and the same alpha attitude, lol.
by Jan May 14th, 2006 at 6:56 amHubby says, “Happy to amuse.”
by Karin May 15th, 2006 at 10:47 amIs there such a thing and murder and mayhem overdone? what I mean by that is there is such a wide variety of crimes and ways to pull them off, that is anything at this point, considered cliche? Just curious
by deb May 15th, 2006 at 12:52 pmGood question, deb. I remember sending out queries a few years ago for a book I wrote titled TO DIE FOR. It was rejected. Many of the agents said, “Serial killers are so overdone.” Okay, well, that may be true but I know someone here at MSW who sold a couple of serial killer stories that
by Karin May 15th, 2006 at 6:01 pmmade
a couple of best seller lists. So cliche? Maybe but maybe with a fresh twist it isn’t.
[...] Details here miladyinsanity @ 5:48 pm [filed under Contests [...]
by Twists and Turns May 16th, 2006 at 4:46 pm