I can't seem to log in.
This problem has been plaguing me for a few weeks, now--thus the lack of updates. I follow the directions, and it still doesn't work. It used to work fine with my version of Opera, then changed overnight. I still can't figure out why.
How, then, am I writing this now?
Let's just say I'm not at home and leave it at that, shall we?
I'm actually participating in NaNoWriMo, this year. Yes, despite the new job, flu, and resurrection of this blog, I'm also plodding away at writing 2k words a day (since I don't want to write on Sundays and I'm sick enough to sometimes come home and do nothing and sleep 'til morning).
As you might've noticed, I've changed the blogging schedule to update every Saturday. Now that all my methods for proofreading your own work are covered, I'm going to go waaaay back to the beginning of the year to the genre theme and resurrect that.
Total res, all the way.*
I'm not exactly participating in NaNoWriMo to win. I'm more using it to help teach myself to write quick first drafts, so I can actually start making progress in my stack of story ideas that need drafting.
Then again, I guess I haven't done as poorly in the past as I thought, 'cause when I think about it, I did have two that I nearly finished before realizing my entire structure wasn't working...
*"Res" = resurrection in those online games those people you know are rambling about. Yes, I'm a gamer--the horror! One word: Oberin. Best community I've found, and most fun, complicated, involved storyline and gameplay, if you can handle the Mac-only client and the, er, limited graphics.
If you have a Mac and like complicated games, try Oberin out! Sign up and keep an eye out for "Carradee", a female character who likes being followed around by a large gray "Giant Spider".
When you find "Carradee", tell her you found out about it through Cuppa Caff, and I--Carradee--will give you a nice bonus above and beyond the generosity I'm notorious for showing newbies.
Note the "tutor" on that. Yeah, finding a copyeditor can theoretically help in general, but that doesn't do you much good in the long haul. (Though they likely are a bit easier to find…)
You see, a straight-up copyeditor doesn't really need to know why something does or doesn't work, per se. He just needs to be able to make things work. He's the guy you go to fix your stuff.
But do you want to eternally run after someone else everything, or do you want to learn how to write better, yourself? That's what a copyediting tutor does.
Now, they aren't exactly the easiest people to find. It make take some hunting to find one that suits you. (Your budget is another story.)
The reasons for this are mixed, but I think it's best summed up in the fact that tutoring, writing, rewriting, and proofreading are all separate skills. It's like Simon in American Idol—he may not sing, but he's good at critiquing others' singing. Different skillset.
Writing novels, short stories, poetry, plays, and screenplays actually all take different skills, too. As do journalism and history book writing. Different skillsets (and mindsets, for that matter). That's why a professional blogger—who can often churn out several 300-500 blog posts a day, easily—might fail miserably at trying to write the same amount of fiction in a day. Diff skills.
A good copyediting tutor can read a bit of your writing, figure out what's you not knowing the rules vs. you writing lazily, and explain what you should do in a way that makes sense to your writing style. That level of evaluation and critique is tough. It takes a lot of brain juice.
You then have to be willing to accept the tutor's advice. The advice can be exactly what you need to perfect your "baby," but if you're not willing to take it, to make your writing the best it can be…
Why are you even bothering to write in the first place?
Blog content and skin © Misti Wolanski. Unauthorized use prohibited.
