Editing Is…

Image 2014-12-04 Miss Poison Editing, Honesty, Images/Photos/Quotes, Killing, Life, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Writing Editing, Images/Photos/Quotes, Killing, Life, Story, Writing

And now you all know why I edit my own work. I refuse to be butchered.

Another One Bites The Dust

2014-11-212014-11-22 Miss Poison Cooking, Editing, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thanksgiving, Word Count, Work, Writing Baking, Cooking, Editing, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thanksgiving, Work, Writing

At approximately 9:00 this morning, I submitted a completed, edited manuscript back to my current client. Ten days, four revisions, and I am DONE. I felt incredibly exhilarated by that. I think it is, by far, the fastest I have edited in a while, but factoring in that everyone gives me projects with different word counts, I still think I did rather well. I delivered way ahead of schedule since this wasn’t an absolute must until January 1st. All in all, I am pleased.

I had a little health scare this week that I didn’t mention, but now that I know I’m okay, I feel like I can breathe a little easier. By the Grace of God, it wasn’t what I thought it was, and I am eternally grateful for that.

It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away. I have been trying to plan my “menu” here and there this past week. Last year, while not traditional, I did break out my recipe for stuffing. If a recipe is passed down to me, I have perfected it over the years. The stuffing was my Mom’s original recipe. I don’t know where she got it from because my Grandmother didn’t cook, but my Great-Grandmother did. Even still, this stuffing is not typical of what one might expect. It is very easily made vegetarian with a few little tweaks, but I’m not making it this year. In fact, I don’t plan on making anything even remotely traditional. No turkey, no stuffing, no cranberry sauce, nothing one might expect. It’s one big plain NO. After some consideration, I found a happy alternative.

I have absolutely nothing against traditional Thanksgiving Day fare, I’m simply not going to do all that prep work for less than 4 people. It’s a lot of work and since I am the one cooking, I make the rules. A 12-16 pound turkey is a waste when only the white meat will be eaten. It’s wasteful, but it’s the truth. So, no turkey. If I do happen to qualify for the free bird at my local store, I will donate it to one of the churches in the area or give it to a neighbor who I am sure will either cook it or donate it. Either way, someone wins. The store I go to does offer some alternatives, but if none of them can be utilized by me, it’s best to donate.

I know the stores will be jam-packed next week, but since I’m not going near anything traditional, I should be okay. I can listen to the playlist for my book instead of the Christmas music I am almost certain to be attacked by upon entering, and go about my business. It will take two trips to two different stores to get everything I need, but I will be incredibly grateful if I am able to do so, and still come in under budget. What I’m planning will last for 3-5 days, but it will get better from the first bite ’til the very last and I’m looking forward to having some fun with it. I am also considering a little baking. I considered it last year and ended up not doing it. Two different types of cake have been requested, and each of them sounds really refreshing for some reason, so I am going to try. They can both bake at the same time, cool at the same time, and be frosted next to one another. Easy. They’ll both last about a day, only because everyone here has a sweet tooth. At least by baking them, I know exactly what’s going into them, as opposed to buying them, where the ingredients are listed, but make me cringe. What I have planned, even with the baking, won’t even take me two hours to pull together. Another person is in charge of an add-on that he suggested, but everything else is me. He did offer to help, but I hate it when anyone hovers over me in the kitchen like I’m fine china and might break. UGH!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Do you have any traditional dishes you make that are absolute MUSTS? Leave me a comment and let me know. Also, how many people are making dishes that are Pinterest inspired?

Welcome & Thank You

2014-11-13 Miss Poison Editing, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Unfiltered, Work, Writing Editing, Gratitude, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thanks, Unfiltered, Welcome, Work, Writing

Readership has really grown a lot in the past month, so I wanted to say hello to all of the new people that have kindly followed, liked, and commented. It is a joy to read messages from like-minded souls. I see everything, and I appreciate all of you for stopping in. I especially have to thank my friends who followed me from the old blog (which I still do), to my main focus, which is this platform. It’s nice to get feedback based solely on true merit.

While I try to post daily, sometimes my brain is a bit shattered, so I try to share nice things with you that I’ve come across, or that inspire me in some way. Sometimes I will address specific issues or causes, and you don’t have to take them to heart, you can breeze through or past them, but I do hope they’ll be of some value.

I am currently editing a new novel, which is an interesting, fun challenge. When you grow up with specific mysteries and stories, be it in book form, film, or even on television, it is always nice to see them brought back to life by someone new. It’s nice for me to step outside of my own work world, which is drastically different, and immerse myself in a world of someone else’s creation. I was pleased to discover the client is already published and successful, so that was a nice surprise, and I’m so happy to be working. It does mean I will work straight through the holidays, but quite frankly, I appreciate the distraction. It’s been a rough year. I will be happy to take the good from it, leave the negative behind, and move into a new year with a lot of newly absorbed knowledge about myself and those around me. It’s important to look ahead, because looking behind you only causes chronic neck pain.

Beyond all of that, I can say that Fall is winding down. The trees on my property are blowing leaves all over the place. The two larger trees were bright, lush green and are now dappled with yellow and peach. The Japanese Maple will slowly transition from stunning plum leaves to a bright red, but as of right now, they’re still holding strong. It’s my favorite of the three trees and it’s also the one that was still pretty young when I got here. The air is now turning bitterly cold, which makes my Fibromyalgia flare-up in unpleasant ways. Every muscle in my body hurts and every joint feels like I’m Tin Man from the Wizard Of Oz and need to be “oiled”. I can feel the cold deep within my bones, especially anywhere I have an injury. Gymnastics isn’t always kind to you years later, but the same can be said for all sports.

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I haven’t even sat down to make a tentative menu because I don’t know how many people I will be cooking for, but I’m also not that interested. I think the sentiment behind the day is awesome, it always has been, but it is greatly ruined by the pre-Black Friday crap that is already being advertised. I’m much more concerned with making a nice meal and having a day of movies or books to keep me happy. That’s my usual tradition. Perhaps I will re-read a series of books throughout the holiday season, in my spare time.

Are there are books you like to re-read during this time of year? If so, leave a comment and tell me what you re-read and why.

A Job Well Done

2014-10-162014-10-16 Miss Poison Editing, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Writers, Writing Authors, Editing, Experience, Half-Assing Work, Inner Critic, Poison In Lethal Doses, Quality, Skill, Talent, Writers, Writing

I feel good. I have completed editing over 94,000 words in less than three weeks, way ahead of schedule. I was invited to submit a proposal on an “invitation only” job and got it in a matter of an hour or so. It’s a read-through with notes, it won’t take me very long. I just have to stifle my urge to edit it. I refuse to do something I’m not being paid or asked to do in the job description. If you’re asking for a read-through, you’ll get it, but I won’t kill myself to give you more than what you’ve asked for. That’s only fair.

It’s also one of the reasons I keep my best work to myself until it is submitted for publication. I don’t need 100 opinions or thoughts, I know myself and I know what works. It’s not ego, it’s skill and experience. Not everything I write is for every single person on the planet, nor does it need to be. Know thy audience, but please yourself as the first person reading it.

Many writers deal with an “inner critic”. Basically, mine knows when I’m writing “filler”. In turn, I have no problem deleting it. It could be pages of crap, but I encourage you, as a writer, to know when it’s crap and remove it. It helps to avoid the “This is being cut.” remarks from an editor in the future. Know yourself, know when you’re putting your absolute best work forward, and know when to step back from it for a little while. Return with fresh eyes and a clear mind. If you agonize, it will always show in your work. If you were pushing yourself to meet a deadline, it will show and any reader with a lick of sense will pick up on it immediately.

Not that long ago I read a book from an author I read consistently. From beginning to end, the book felt forced, it felt repetitive, it felt unimaginative and about as unique as a paper bag, and getting to the end was like pulling teeth with your bare hands. The book went straight to #1 on the New York Times Bestsellers List. I wish you could have seen my face when I saw it. The book lacked quality, substance, a real plot, and damn near bored me to tears. It was the same old shit, in a different fucking book. It was, in all honesty, not that much different from a different series that the author writes, only the names and characters are slightly different. At the core of both, is the author’s pain, and she pours that pain into both of her lead characters. I respect her right for creative control and creative license, but that book made me lose a ton of respect for her as a person. When you’ve read all of a person’s work for closing in on 12 years, it is perfectly okay to be disappointed by even just one highly touted novel in a series, or in the series itself. I will pretty much NEVER publicly disrespect another female author, because I know how hard we work (Yes, male authors work hard too, but I lack the necessary equipment guys.), and I’m a girl’s girl to the core. For an author that once inspired me, I felt like she’d let her readers down. I read the reviews and while it remains at about a 4 star rating on many web-sites, pretty much every review was filled with anger, disappointment, and disgust. People were offended that they’d wasted $15-$30 on crap, depending on where and how they had purchased it and in which format, and that’s putting many reviews mildly.

Half-assing it shows. Maybe not to a new reader, but for people who have been with you from the very beginning, they will remember. They will determine whether or not the next book sells, and exactly how well it does. So, lesson to be learned? Don’t cheat your readers, but most importantly, don’t cheat yourself.

Saying Goodbye To September…

2014-09-30 Miss Poison Editing, Fibromyalgia, Images/Photos/Quotes, Kittens, Pain, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Work, Writing Cats, Editing, Exhaustion, Naps, October, September, Sleep, Writing

September always sneaks up on me unpleasantly, kind of like the holiday season (If I see one more Christmas decoration, I’ll flip my lid!). I’m never fully prepared for it and I am always happy to see it go.

October is my favorite month of the year. It reminds me of very happy times in my life, and is always the lead-in to my birthday towards the end of the month. Unfortunately, my last few birthdays have completely and utterly sucked. I have decided to have absolutely no expectations whatsoever this year, other than the firm knowledge that I have to make some important decisions within the next two years and should probably invest in prolonging what’s left of my youth.

I am still recovering from my marathon editing session. We will not discuss how badly I ended up injuring myself by not getting up a few times each hour to stretch, or taking a moment to check and correct my posture when I got stressed. I’m halfway done, so I’m feeling good about that. I wish sitting wasn’t quite so painful though. I’ve learned my lesson. Sometimes, less truly is more. Also, all those naps I didn’t want to take as a child…

As adults one thing we all want desperately is a good night’s sleep (and to win the lottery), but as children, we think sleeping means we’re missing out on something. I always felt that way as a child, but now, I’m wishing I’d napped more, so I wouldn’t be so unbelievably exhausted now. And so, I have decided that in my next life, I’m coming back as a cat.

Leaves me be Mommy, I’m snuggly and warm.

I’m Fried!

2014-09-28 Miss Poison Editing, Fibromyalgia, Images/Photos/Quotes, Musings, Reading, Work, Writing Editing, Fibromyalgia Pain, Overdoing It, Reading, Writing

After editing for ten hours yesterday, I am completely fried to a crisp. It’s going to take a while before my back, neck, and shoulder feel normal again. I did yoga stretches to loosen all of my muscles when I was done for the day yesterday, and then I covered all the affected problem spots I could reach with Icy/Hot. Once it kicked in, I passed out. That’s what I get for waking up super early and going straight to work. The only bonus, I got to do that work in my PJ’s.

Note to self: You don’t need to keep saying “Five more pages.” That’s like saying you’re going to read “just one chapter” of a book before bed, and after a while, you notice it’s light outside. These are ridiculous lies we tell ourselves. The fact that I managed to do so much work this weekend AND finish reading a book is a testament to my own stupidity. As I edit this week, and prep for the arrival of someone very special, I have another book to finish reading. Yes, that is pure overkill, but the truth nonetheless.

As a side note for all my fellow writers out there: Do NOT argue with the person that knows where the apostrophes and commas go. Chances are, that person knows their shit.

Are You Working Hard, Or Hardly Working?

2014-09-262014-09-26 Miss Poison Editing, Images/Photos/Quotes, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Thought-Provoking, Writing Criticism, Editing, Jealousy, Support, Working Hard, Writing

Do you ever find yourself utterly dizzy reading what you’ve written, or even the work of a fellow writer? If so, welcome to the club!

I have been editing for a client for three days now. At the rate I’m going, I will be done next week. All I will say about it is that the story is very good and I’d buy it. It’s nice to work on something I’d never write, but that I’m highly knowledgeable about. (Special thanks to the New York City Public Education system for always telling me, year after year, that I should be a police detective. Higher honors and thanks to the NYPD for all my forensics knowledge.) I never know how my brain works, until someone presents me with a question or ideas and suddenly, out of nowhere, the answers come flying out of my mouth. It’s a little scary. The fact that I know some of this stuff is probably the reason I DVR’d “How To Get Away With Murder” last night. Did anyone else see it?

Here’s something that bothers me: You take all kinds of shit as a writer. Criticism and stupid comments are the least of my concerns. Over time, you realize that a lot of the catty comments that get sent in your direction are actually jealousy manifesting itself. You start seeing people distance themselves from you, and it all comes down to one thing: No one likes knowing that someone else is better than they are at something. I have no idea why people cannot be supportive, why they can’t just be happy for you, or why they have to be so competitive. There is room in this world, both physically and literally, for all of us. IKEA, Target, and Walmart can always make more bookshelves, so please don’t compete with every writer you know, just “do you”. That means, write what you know and write it well, and then take it out into the universe and sell that motherfucker for all it is worth.

In turn, you’ll be able to answer the age old question: Are you working hard, or hardly working?

A Good Night’s Sleep

2014-09-242014-09-24 Miss Poison Editing, Finding Your Truth, Growth, Judaism, Musings, Pieces Of Me, Poison In Lethal Doses, Wicca, Writing Editing, Family, Friends, Judaism, Musings, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Sweetness, Tradition, Wicca, Writing

Four solid hours of sleep, edited four pages for a potential client, and just found out a few minutes ago that I have the job. Yay!

Tonight is the start of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (Believe it or not, I know plenty of people who don’t know this, so that is why I said it.). While not the world’s most observant Jewess, especially when you factor in that I am also Wiccan, the New Year always helps me get spiritually centered for what’s to come.

Life is a fucking battlefield on so many levels, and it is true: Only the strong survive. In this, sometimes I wish I didn’t have to be so damn strong. It would be nice to occasionally kick back and let someone else handle the crap. Alas, if you want something done right, you’d better do it yourself.

I won’t be celebrating traditionally or with a house full of family, but I will have two people with me to help me honor my ancestry, and I have friends who will be lighting candles from their end to help me out.

From me to all of you, whether you celebrate or not, may the coming year bring you an abundance of sweetness & serenity. 🙂 L’Shana Tovah!

Once Again

2014-09-22 Miss Poison Editing, Work Editing, Patience, Work, Writing

Once again, I find myself astounded by the audacity of people. There are jobs in this world where you truly DO “get what you pay for”. I have a healthy respect for money, but as a writer, there are some things I’m not willing to do in order to earn pennies. Maybe that sounds horrible, egotistical, or snobbish, but as someone told me over the weekend “You’re trying to respect yourself through this process, and I get that.”

Yes, I am. If you want me to turn a 100,000 page novel around in perfect, ready to publish order, and you want it in 24 hours, please don’t expect that to happen for $25. If you DO expect that to happen, please go to Craigslist and/or a local high school, and find someone who is far less experienced than I am because I simply do not have the time to read through all that work, edit it, and provide you with a detailed report on each chapter within 24 hours. I read these “job offers” and think “Wow, have you got a pair of BALLS!”, or “You’ve GOT to be fucking KIDDING ME with this shit!” Lets be honest, after taxes, it’s pretty insulting.

If any of my readers would like to hire me for a job, please contact me with a comment and any pertinent info (contact me here first if you want to send me a few chapters to give me an idea of what it is I’d be working on.), I’ll glean your e-mail address from it. I can work with reasonable budgets (I do understand and respect them, just don’t insult me.), fiction or non-fiction, poetry, etc., and help you produce a product you are proud to send off to literary agents and/or editors. I’m tough, but I’m fair. I am also happy to be contracted to you for 3, 6, 9, 12 months or longer, being paid on a monthly basis, if that is easier for you. I have found in the past that this is easier for many people and works better for their budgets. I work fast, I work carefully, but I also have a passion for what I do. I enjoy helping others because, due to the fact that I sign a non-plagiarism agreement as standard procedure, editing allows me to focus on my own work when I write, and your work when I edit. I wouldn’t have over 19 years of editing experience if I sucked. I have signed non-disclosure agreements for the work I have edited in the past, so please don’t ask for that information.

Happy to help anyone that needs it. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Have a good Monday. 🙂