If you seek the perfect gift for a writer, grammar snob, or reader, congratulations! You’re in the right place. Write Right has compiled a list of gifts sure to delight the word-nerd in your life. [Read more…] about Write Right’s Not-So Grown-Up Christmas List
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12 Christmas Gifts for Word Nerds
It’s that time of the year again. Christmas music is playing in all the stores; the scent of pine hangs in the air; people are starting to rush home with their treasures. (Okay, maybe that’s just me. I’m an early bird Christmas shopper.)
What Type of Writer are You?
Certain qualities differentiate amateur writers from professional ones. For example, amateurs sometimes have little regard for criticism. They’re happy with the way their work is, not with the way it could be. Professionals are different. They’re in pursuit of what’s better, and “better” often necessitates criticism’s thrashing.
What If the Writers Don’t Listen?
I recently was asked what I do if writers don’t listen to me. I was somewhat taken aback because I have no expectation that writers will listen to everything I say nor do I want them to. Writers are their own people, and they have a creative vision for their work that I may not fully understand despite my best attempts to read and critique closely. My job is to ask questions that encourage them to think and to be able to stand their ground when they are questioned about a choice they’ve made.
5 Things to Do before Approaching an Editor
Asking an editor to take on your work is not like turning in a paper to a college professor. In college, you might have been able to write something at the last minute and turn it in for a passing grade. It isn’t like that with a professional editor. A professional editor – be that a copy editor or a developmental editor – is going to put your work beneath a microscope. He or she won’t let you get away with inconsistencies or mistakes because the goal isn’t a passing grade. The goal is a manuscript that you’ll be able to publish – not for free or for your mom and her five friends but for money, preferably a lot of it.
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5 Christmas Stocking Stuffers for Writers
When it comes to Christmas, writers sometimes prepare for an onslaught of Moleskins and pens. Nothing is wrong with those gifts, especially for writers who use Moleskins and nice pens, but the gifts can become – how can one say it tactfully? – a little old. It’s a bit like knowing one is going to receive yet another pair of socks from Grandma. One says “thank you” outwardly but groans inwardly. The gift may be needed if one’s socks have holes in the toes or heels, but it’s not necessarily a gift designed to elicit jubilation.
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