Monday, July 8, 2013

Day 183 of the 365 Days of Blogging

The author, Dane F. Baylis

ANNOUNCEMENT 1.

TODAY MARKS JUST OVER HALFWAY IN THE 365 DAYS OF BLOGGING, YEE-DAMNED-HAW!

(More on that in a moment)
 

ANNOUNCEMENT 2.

 

Four professional editors from the region will take part in a panel discussion “Working with a Professional Editor,” at the July 9 meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club. Club president, Kate Sexton, will moderate the session.

Joining the panel are: Greg Elliot of Agoura Hills, author, editor, screenwriter, and writing professor at UCLA; Tammy Ditmore of Newbury Park, professional editor who has held positions as an editor, proofreader, and indexer for newspapers, book publishers, authors, and scholars; Monica Faulkner of Los Angeles, an editor and publishing consultant for more than 20 years, and one of the founders of the Los Angeles Editors and Writers Group; and Southern California publishing legend, Shelly Lowenkopf of Santa Barbara, former executive editor for several California publishers, recipient of the “Life Time Achievement in Writing” award from USC for 30 years teaching masters writing classes, and author of over 35 books. Mr. Lowenkopf has personally seen over 700 books to publication as an editor.
Both fiction and nonfiction writing will be covered.
“Editing is a very gray area for most writers,” stated Sexton. “A properly edited book can make the difference of getting an agent and a deal, or not. This does NOT mean spell-checking or school teacher grammar. Publishing today has created its own standards that help American English evolve. Grammar taught in school lags behind the public discourse. To have a book that sells, the author must submit a top-quality manuscript.”
The panel will cover both copy/line editing and—what Sexton thinks is more important—content/concept editing. “Where does your story really start? Do you have real conversations by your characters, or do they sound stilted because of no contractions? Is there enough dialogue, or is the manuscript filled with narrative? And how to judge?”
The 90-minute panel will address these questions and more.
“When I programmed last November’s Ventura County Writers Weekend,” said Sexton, “the Editing Panel sold out faster than any other session, including meeting literary agents. To me this means writers are confused or have questions that need answering, and we hope to do so with this panel.”
Time will be set aside at the end of the formal panel for questions from the audience. There will be no opening act this evening so more time can be devoted to the panel topic.
CALENDAR INFORMATION
July Meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club
July 9, 7 PM
Pleasant Valley Senior Center
1605 Burnley Street, Camarillo, CA
Topic: Four Editors’ Panel on “How to Work with a Professional Editor”
Open to Members and non-members. No fee
For information on the Ventura County Writers Club, visit:
http://www.venturacountywriters.com
 
 
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program. Let me see, where did I leave off? Oh yeah, YEE-DAMNED-HAW! Yes, today I officially crossed the halfway point in this blogging challenge I've been chasing. It feels pretty good, too. Why? Well, for one thing, when I first started on this journey I was seized by the reality thing. You know...Oh my god! What am I going to find to blog about EVERY day? What if I get hit with blogophobia or just good old fashioned writer's block? What if everyone who happens across this thing responds with a hail and hearty, "Piss-off, numbnuts!"?
 
Well, I believe that you don't really learn to swim until you hit the deep end. Sort of the, "Hey, Ma! Look, I'm saving my own life!", reaction. In I dove and for a while it was the opposite of what I was fantasizing. I had the pool all to myself. Nobody came around to tell me what an utter twit I was coming off as - Well, the truth is, at first, nobody came around, period. But, if you've ever seen me on my day job, you know talking to myself is a habit I embrace wholeheartedly.
 
After a while I did develop a small audience. No, the Editor and Wife wasn't the first follower, she was second. That audience has, from time to time, been nice enough to leave some very laudatory comments. For that I thank each of you more than you will ever know. That some of you have even said that the things I put up here have helped you in your own literary endeavors is just amazing. Your encouragement has been the engine that has kept this site up and running and has even challenged me to stretch my own understanding of the craft and art we share. Again, my sincerest thanks.
 
To those of you, around the globe, who take the time to visit, (I am amazed at where some of my traffic comes from!), please join the others who have left even just a hello. I love hearing from all of you and would welcome the opportunity to personally thank you or to have you contribute your own insights to this page.
 
Now, after having gone on like an Oscar recipient, I'll sign off for tonight. We'll pick back up with my normal (oh, alright, regular!) commentary tomorrow.
 
 
Meanwhile...live, love, write.
 
 
Want to follow or subscribe to this blog? There are gadgets for that on the right side of the page. You can leave comments in the form below. I can be reached directly at dbaylis805@gmail.com . You can also find links to some of the sites I visit from time to time on the right. I'm also looking for submissions to the Your Work/Your Love page. Authors retain all rights.
 
 
Tomorrow,
 
Dane F. Baylis
Author.
 
 

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