Study, Study, Study

It has been two weeks since my last post. In that time we have lost a beloved family member (my father-in-law) and my course from the Graduate School has arrived. I have been working hard to get through it. I'm working on lesson 3 already. The first came back from my instructor with a decent grade and my second has already been sent to her. Luckily, I seem to know most of it after all, but there are details that I am absorbing.

I'm reading and editing four manuscripts for fellow writers at no cost. I hope to help them and add the experience to my repertoire. I have been told it is tough out there for freelance editors right now... but what else is new? I am hoping fervently that I will succeed anyway.

I am enjoying editing very much. :) I'm enjoying refreshing my memory on all the rules of grammar. How many people have you heard say that? I'll be ready to start accepting clients in a couple of months. Anyone out there writing a book? How about a website?

Need Editing? Free Manuscript Editing for a Limited Time!

While I keep writing, I need a steady paycheck. I have decided to pursue editing to provide that paycheck. All wanna-be editors probably have a similar story to mine: I grew up correcting the handouts my teachers gave me. I even handed the corrected versions back to them. When I graduated from high school, I got my creative writing teacher a spelling dictionary since I wouldn't be there to edit for him.

What little information I can find on becoming an editor says this isn't enough. They suggest I need to start working for a publisher and learn all about the publishing business. Well, there has to be more ways to become an editor than that. There are no criteria or standards to follow like if I wanted to become a doctor or a lawyer. I don't need a degree. I can refresh my memory on all the rules of grammar and proofreading by taking a simple course.

I have a zero chance of getting a job in publishing at this point in my life. I'm 46. I have a slew of children, the youngest of which is almost 3. It's hard enough to start over yet again without having to compete with 24 year olds for low paying jobs.

So, I'm paving my own way. I will take the course from The Graduate School (part of the Dept. of Agriculture) on editing. I will offer my services for free at first to gather manuscripts for my resume. I'm already doing that. I will focus on working with authors who want to self-publish at first or even exclusively if I have to. I can do this. I will do this. My family needs me and I will rise to the challenge.

If anyone reads this who is a writer that needs some editing, respond in the comments. I am still doing free editing for the next few authors. This can save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars to have me look at your manuscript for free. This is a limited time offer. I'll help you with your manuscript if you help me add to my resume and give me a quote I can use for my website. Do we have a deal?

Procrastination

Procrastination. It sounds like a positive word, doesn't it? I mean, it starts with the prefix "pro-"... that usually means something positive. Alas, all it does is make me crazy. My work piles up. Pages are not written. I mentally beat myself up because I folded the laundry or took a brief stroll outdoors to mingle with the chickens instead of pounding away on my worn out keyboard.

That reminds me... do other writers have the problem of the letters wearing off of their keyboard? So far I'm missing the E, the D, the C, the N and the M and several more are threatening to be unrecognizable.

See? There I go again. Procrastinating. That's why I'm writing this blog post instead of working on my book. I was a good girl and wrote all day for work, though. I have been reading with interest some of the query letters, first pages and even first chapters from other writers at Agent Query. My mind catches all the little typos, grammatical gaffs and other boo boos. I've always enjoyed editing... I wonder what it takes to be an editor? It may be fun to be a book doctor... I could see myself helping others to perfect their masterpieces before they send them on to their agents or publishers...

Hmmm. This will take further investigation. Heck, I used to correct the handouts my English teacher gave me in high school and hand them back to him for correction. LOL When I graduated, I got him a spelling dictionary since I wouldn't be around to fix his errors. Maybe I'm really just an editor waiting to spread my wings and fly.

Or maybe I'm still procrastinating. Still, this is an intriguing thought...