Thursday, September 14, 2006

Writing, editing and moving on

About a million posts ago I told you I'd let you know when my entry for the contest was up so I am, you will find it here. What I cannot tell you is which entry it is. We are not allowed and I do not want to be disqualified as a number of people were last year. Therefore I say, go, read, support the writers. All it takes is a few minutes of your time and a cup of coffee. There are historicals, paranormals, contemporary and suspense. It is only one chapter so it doesn't take long. Vote! Voting is important and if you really like something let the author know. This isn't a popularity contest but rather to find out who writes well and what story you might like to see read more. I know that not everyone who stops by here will like this kind of writing and that's fine, to each his/her own.

On another writing note I have applied for an editing job. Who knows if I will get it as I was editing while taking care of my fussy baby today (he had his 6 month shots yesterday and while he was great yesterday today he is not a happy camper). However, I thought I would give it a shot as I don't seem to have a lot of time to write my own stuff so maybe I can help others with theirs. It was interesting because the test manuscript they sent was not a genre I would normally read so it made it a bit harder. I had to put aside any bias I might have and just see the work as good writing or bad (similar to the above contest) and make or advise any changes I felt would make it better. Honestly, I did struggle a bit because you have to balance between cutting stuff that isn't needed and not being too critical. You want to encourage the writer not shoot them down. In addition to doing edits as if it was an accepted manual I also had to advise whether I would accept it, reject or send it back to be revised and resubmitted. It's easy enough on a test manuscript but how would it feel to tell someone that you don't like their work and won't accept their manuscript? Writing is such a subjective thing. Anyway, if they like what I did I could be making a small income again. I asked to only start part-time and it's definitely not a lucrative thing but it would feel nice to be able to contribute both to my family and to society in general.

So, on to a totally non-writing subject. When I wrote my anniversary blog I mentioned the big, horny toad I had to deal with before, thankfully, getting smart and moving on to my wonderful dh. There's a new song out by a young artist that totally makes me laugh as it reminds me of that toad and what I should have done/said (well I would never really do this but it sounds good!). On visiting a fellow bloggers site I noticed he had this video playing and he told me how I could get one (thanks Phats!!) so here is the song and video - enjoy:
Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats. Video taken down now (edited Sep 18/06)