Inventing Reality Editing Service

"Being a poet is one of the unhealthier jobs – no regular hours, so many temptations!" – Elizabeth Bishop

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Top 5 Habits All Writers Should Possess

Despite widely varying writing styles, almost all writers share several common habits that help ensure their success.

Drawing upon my experience working as an editor with hundreds of authors and having read far more interviews of or essays by writers, I’ve noticed five common habits among them. Any time an aspiring author asks me what they can do to become a better writer, I automatically recommend adopting those habits.

They are...

TIP 1: Read Every Day
Read great literature and read the best writing in your favorite genre. Pay attention to what makes it quality writing. For every five great books you read, read a poorly written one to see if you can recognize why it doesn’t work. People learn largely by observing then modeling what we saw – kids, for example, imitate their favorite athletes’ moves – and writers are no different. In fact, modeling a work you love by trying to write a story, line by line, just as the author did, is a great way to master the craft of writing and storytelling.

TIP 2: Write Every Day
You can’t be a musician unless you play a musical instrument, and you can’t be a painter unless you paint. Likewise, you can’t be a writer unless you write. The more you write, the better you’ll get, just as a would-be guitarist becomes the next Clapton or Frampton by constantly playing and practicing and experimenting with his six-string. Of course, you can take a day off now and then to recharge, just as a jogger waits 48 hours between runs to let her muscles heal and avoid overstressing them. But if you want to win the race – or hit No. 1 on the bestsellers list – then you must write far more days than not.

TIP 3: Follow a Writing Process
Pantsers (Those who write without an outline) really are one of three kinds of writers: geniuses (a rare few of them); poor writers just doing it for fun (many of them); or deluded (most of them). I say “deluded” because they actually are using a writing process – they’re just doing it in their head rather than jotting on paper ideas they’ve brainstormed, outlines of their plot, or bios of their characters. All of it’s up in their head. Most would be more productive if they wrote it down, however. The simple – and almost always nonlinear – steps in the writing process are: brainstorming; outlining; drafting; revising; and placing some revised draft into a final, publishable form.

TIP 4: Read Up on the Craft Itself
Articles about how to write better will help you think about problems in your writing that you’ve never recognized before. It’ll help you come up with solutions to plot and character and point of view issues that have perplexed you. You’ll find that most editors, published authors, literary agents, and creative writing teachers all dispense the same advice – use active voice, make conflict the heart of your story, show don’t tell, and so on. Mastering just those three bits of sage advice will make your writing a hundred times better.

TIP 5: Live Like a Writer
No, I don’t mean dress in all black and hang out all day at coffeeshops. (Though that is a lot of fun.) Rather, you must act and think like a writer. All writers, no matter what genre they write in, are observant, take an interest in all that’s around them, and ask questions, always believing that everything they see and hear and smell and feel and taste some how some way can find itself into their story. Ideas tumble around in their heads all the time, and they thirst for media and conversations in which the same is happening to whoever they are listening to or talking with. They think and speak like they want to write, using active verbs rather passive voice, offering concrete details rather than abstractions, and telling instead of showing. In short, they are writer 24/7 not just during the few minutes a day they sit in front of a computer screen or a composition book.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"Becoming a writer is about becoming conscious. When you're conscious and writing from a place of insight and simplicity and real caring about the truth, you have the ability to throw the lights on for your reader." - Anne Lamott

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"As a writer you try to listen to what others aren't saying...and write about the silence." - N.R. Hart

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"Be courageous and try to write in a way that scares you a little." - Holley Gerth

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"Slow down now, touch what is around you, and out of care and compassion for each moment and detail, put pen to paper and begin to write." - Natalie Goldberg

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"As a writer you ask yourself to dream while awake." - Aimee Bender

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"A writer's keyboard is a piano, where they create silent music sung in readers' voices." - Raymond Esposito

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Which is best: Writing at home or a public space?

One key to being a productive and creative writer is determining which place – home alone or in a public place like a library, coffeeshop or cafe.

Famous authors differ in their preference. Franz Kafka wrote at home but only when his entire family had left. Emily Dickinson rarely left her house and later in life her bedroom. Other writers liked the hustle and bustle of coffee shops and parks. Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir often spent hours at a time writing their novels and essays in Paris cafes.

And some select truly odd places to write. Vladimir Nabokov, for example, liked to write in the backseat of his car as his wife drove.

So where’s the best place to write for you to write – alone in your home or at a public place (We’ll presume you’re not an oddball like Nabokov)?

At first glance, each place is fraught with perils to your writing time.

Writing at home usually means distractions galore, such as wondering if the laundry is done, seeing the dirty dishes in the sink while up your coffee mug, or realizing you really should vacuum the floors as gazing over your laptop to think through the wording of your next sentence. In short, your home gives the writer in you a thousand reasons to procrastinate.

Writing in public often means a loud, chaotic noise, as people talk and laugh or an occasional plate is dropped. And then there’s the nauseating perfume of the lady sitting near you and in winter the cold rush of air that freezes you every time someone opens the door.

Considering this, it’s surprising that any writing gets done by anyone at all.

But of course it does.

That’s because most writers thrive in one environment or the other. They’re able to focus and feed off of either the quiet of home or the clamor of a public place. A few even are able to write in both situations.

To find which works best for you may mean experimenting with each location a little. It also may mean making a few adjustments.

Tips on writing at home
To be a more productive and creative writer in your home, you may want to:
• Do housework in brief breaks – To avoid eye strain, you should quit looking at your computer screen every 10-15 minutes. Keep those breaks to 30 seconds (set a timer if you must) to fold a few clothes, wash a couple of dishes, and to set the bleach and sponge on the bathroom sink. Then get back to writing.
• Refocus the view from your workspace – Turn your desk or place it in a spot where you can’t see anything else in the house. For example, the view from my work desk is the tree-lined backyard from a large picture window. The green leaves and singing birds are peaceful but not distracting. Fill a carafe with coffee or tea so you don’t need to get up for it.
• Turn off everything – That means no television, no cell phone, no window opened to your email (even if it’s minimized)...maybe even no music playing in the background. Don’t give these distractions an opportunity to eat away your writing time.

Tips on writing in public space
To be a more productive and creative writer in a public space, you may want to:
• Select the right atmosphere – Not all coffeeshops, cafes or libraries look alike. Some are very stark with postmodern furniture while others are quite homey. Some attract mainly college kids while others are for the office crowd. Some are loud spots where people mainly visit while others are hushed and full of readers and studiers. Some of these moods and tones will nourish while others will quash your creativity.
• Go when those places aren’t busy – If you like the liveliness of a coffee shop or cafe but don’t want it too lively, then write when there are only a few customers. Every spot is a little different in its customer flow, so you may need to go at various times to see what works best.
• Find a spot that’s tucked away – Just as you would refocus your workspace when writing from home, find a table that’s not next to a major aisle for customers. One with a great view that keeps you from looking at other customers is optimal. A back corner is a good idea, as it keeps people from glancing over your shoulder at what you’re writing.
• Don’t sign into the local Wi-Fi – The temptation to check your email and look at Facebook will be just too great. Turn off your cell phone while you’re at it too.
• Wear earbuds – If the background buzz gets too loud while you’re in the writing groove, don some earbuds to block out the noise. You may even listen to music turned down low enough that it’s an additional sound barrier but doesn’t distract you.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

"A man will turn over half a library to make one book." - Samuel Johnson

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.