Samantha Garner, Freelance Manuscript and Book Editor » editing

Putting your writing in a drawer – it works!

Samantha — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:57:57 +0000

So, you know that saying about writing something, putting it in a drawer, and coming back to it much later to see if you still like it? I don’t know who it’s attributed to, or even how long this mystery person recommended putting away your writing. Nine months? Nine years?

Either way, I’m here to tell you it works. The other day, I unearthed a story I’d written seven years ago and completely forgotten about. I was prepared to pull my face off in embarrassment as I read it, but the shocking thing was – I actually liked it! At that time in my writing life, I didn’t focus too much on traditional story structure or really even a traditional plot arc. I’d come across examples of this earlier, more experimental writing that made me roll my eyes, but this one pleasantly surprised me. If I may toot my own horn a bit, I found it was smart and flowed quite well. Of course, I’m not going to go into details about an unfinished story here, but suffice it to say that it just needs a small bit of polish (I mean, I really like plot and characterization now) and I’ll be happy to send it out into the world!

Success! It’s almost like I didn’t really have to do much of anything to get a completed short story. It’s like a gift from Me of the Past.

Seriously – who said that thing about putting your writing away in a drawer? Part of me thinks it’s someone ridiculous like Plato, but maybe it’s Zadie Smith. Does anyone know?

Out with the old, etc.

Samantha — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Last year, I worked at a job where Christmas was A Big Deal – the biggest deal of the whole year, in fact. I spent much of December traveling, working late and eating poorly. Surprising no-one, I was more stressed out than I’d ever been in my life. I was overworked, spread too thin and highly unfulfilled.

In 2009, I started freelancing full-time. I’d been a freelance writer for several years, but always when I had time left over after my day job. I was always afraid to commit full time to freelance writing. I loved it, I was great at it, but there were always excuses – primarily money-related.

One day this year, my husband and I were walking to our respective jobs. We were almost at the street where we would part ways and I was talking about how the thought of turning down that street was tying my stomach into knots. It wasn’t a new topic of conversation. In fact, it was so frequent it was bordering on annoying for the both of us. Except on this day, instead of listening and trying to calm me down, my husband told me that my happiness was worth more to him than the salary I was working too hard for every day. He told me he would support me if I wanted to try freelancing full-time.

In the days that followed, we worked out budgets and discussed my plans. I revamped my existing website and got started. I was lucky enough to find a few clients pretty quickly, and they were great clients. I got to work with them on projects they were passionate about, projects they were starting to help others. One of these clients even offered me a part-time writing job. That was not only a source of steady income, but made me feel pretty good about the quality of work I’d done for them.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all smooth sailing – I got stiffed on a $30 invoice, for instance – but it’s been worth it. This year, I finally got to do something I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t believe possible.

I’m excited about 2010. I’ve been discovering what I’m good at and what I’d rather not do. I’m making plans for the next year. Nothing earth-shattering, but it does involve a site revamp, because I can spend many happy hours looking at WordPress templates. I plan to have that done as early in January as possible and I’m excited!

Here are a couple of other year-end posts I’ve been reading:

Annual Review: 2009 Life Lessons at the Art of Non-Conformity.
Don’t Wait Until January 1st to Plan Your Freelance Writing Strategy for the New Year at the FWJ Network.

What are you planning for 2010?

When do you need a copywriter or editor?

Samantha — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000

Over the past couple of years, I’ve met a lot of people who didn’t know that copywriters or editors were available for them. This surprises me, but only because I’m so close to it – I’m the one providing that service so I’ve always known I exist! I thought it might help to talk about when a copywriter or editor comes in handy, and for what projects.

When do you need a copywriter?

If you’re not good with words at all and you wish someone would just write the thing for you – a copywriter can do just that! We take all the necessary information about your project and give you the words you were struggling to find.

When do you need an editor?

If you are pretty comfortable with words, it’s a good idea to have an editor take a look at it as well. You’ve probably spent a lot of time on your project, so letting someone look it over who’s new to it will help. Especially if this person is good with words too – we can make your written project even better.

What projects can a copywriter or editor help with?

Website content
Brochures
Newsletters
Product descriptions
Resumes
Print, online, TV and radio advertisements
News releases
Books
Scripts
Catalogues
Articles
Direct mail content
Grant proposals
Case studies
White papers
Financial reports
Company blogs
Sales letters
And more (in fact, if I’ve missed any, feel free to let me know)

Every copywriter or editor has different skill sets and interests, so be sure to ask if they do offer writing or editing services for your specific type of project. If they don’t do grant proposals or news releases, for example, they might be able to point you in the direction of someone who does!