Finding an Editor Whos Right For You †By Stacey Dyer

Finding an Editor Whos Right For You – By Stacey Dyer Finding an editor who is right for you – by Stacey Dyer Check out all the newest Reedsy success stories right here!‘Punch Wedding Planning in the Face’ is what we are told to do by Stacey Dyer in one of the most outlandish books to have been seen on Reedsy. We thought it would be great to showcase the first gender-neutral, LGBTQ-wedding planning book ever in the universe (that we know of!) created on our very own Reedsy platform. Stacey Dyer talks us through her thoughts and experiences of working with one of our editors and how it helped bring a fresh perspective to her work and really bring it to life.For authors new and experienced, an editor helps to polish and sculpt your work into a final, sparkling piece of written art. New to publishing and working on my first book, I hit a wall after a few rounds of self-editing. I knew it wasn’t ready for the printed page but I didn’t know how to make it better, at least by myself. Maybe it's time to find an editor... But how?Finding an editor on ReedsyThanks to Reedsy , I was able to peruse and choose from their extensive list of editors. While I didn’t know what the average cost was, how much to budget, or truly what to look for in an editor, I knew what mattered most to me:Finding an editor who understood my brazen voice and wouldn’t try to sterilize itFinding an editor who was comfortable working with a gender-neutral, LGBT-friendly bookFinding an editor who might be able to embody a product manager, helping me to apply the purpose of the book throughout each chapterThe best part about Reedsy’s quoting process is the encouraged messaging between vendors and authors. I asked for a sample pass from those who responded to my query and shared a bit more about the vision of my book. From just this little bit of back and forth, I was able to gain a sense of how these editors might work with me. Rachel Small was one who caught my eye right away. The best part about Reedsy is the encouraged messaging between vendors and authors. When Rachel and I started to discuss AstroWed, she got it, immediately. There was energy and a collaborative nature to our exchange that got me excited about the future of the book. She was also laughing (very important for AstroWed!) and understood my voice as well as my goals. Rachel was indeed THE ONE.After that lively exchange, she sent a quote for editing AstroWed in all its 27,000-word glory. (The concept of asking for quotes based on number of words was new to me. It’s my first time working with an editor and writing a book for that matter, but Reedsy made it easy to understand.) Our Editing ProcessWe did a quick Skype call to chat about the following aspects of the editing process:How Rachel likes to workHow I like to workHow do we attack this book together?Common turnaround times when delivering the chaptersHow many chapters will/should get delivered?We settled on doing two chapters at a time and to let Chapters 1 and 2 shine a brighter light on our process together.Three fantastic tactics emerged:Rachel often makes the comment "OK?" to bring attention to a change she’s suggesting (usually because she’s changed the wording). I respond to many of these to give her extra context around the subject matter and either accept or suggest additional changes.I comment to these comments and other questions/suggestions throughout the doc like it’s a chat room from 1998. This makes it feel less like work and more like collaboration!I send my version back to her for further conversation. Usually a couple of overarching questions or ideas pop up and we flesh them out to shape future chapters.But enough with the words! Here’s what our process looks like in action:Day one1 -   Upon first receipt, the docs look like this: 2 -   Usually in the morning, I take a first pass to read through all comments, suggestions, and changes. I do this to also clear the clutter in the sidebar (it feels so overwhelming at first!) because when things look like progress, it usually means it IS progress.3 -   I highlight anything I need to write to, take a design note of, or chew on for a bit longer 5 -   I close the doc and move on to other things, allowing my idle mind to roll around in the suggestions and tasks ahead of me.Day twoI respond and write to all the suggestions I can.If there’s anything that stumps me, I leave it alone and tackle the things I can write to with ease.Day threeI address anything I couldn’t write to yesterday and just muster up the guts to get it done. (Often it’s just that I needed a day to think about the task in the back of my mind. These things come to me usually when I’m about to fall asleep, and therefore I end up with a lot of emails in my inbox from yours truly.)I turn off the â€Å"review view† and put myself in the reader’s shoes. I read through everything with fresh eyes, free of comments and sidebar clutter. After making a handful of small tweaks, I hit save and send the chapters back on their merry way to Rachel, who adds them to the master document.What’s left?To date, Rachel and I have c ompleted our initial passes on all the chapters. Since AstroWed is the universe’s most kickass wedding planning workbook, designed with a gender-neutral space theme, the final steps toward publishing are no small feat!Now it’s time to throw on my illustrator and designer hats, followed by Rachel taking one final pass across the whole doc for polish, grammar, and word choice. This will culminate into an epic pour of wine with Space-Odyssey-2001-like music in the background as I apply her changes in the final design doc, make one final proofread pass, and then prep all things for KDP Print. No big deal though†¦ I got this...I hope this helps you and other authors out there, and, at the very least, makes the path to publishing more tangible. I didn’t know what to expect, but I found Reedsy, and then Rachel, and then this funky 1998-chat-inspired method to keep a positive mindset on a boatload of work. I thought I was going crazy towards the end of my self-edit s, but having a fresh-eyed outsider is worth all the time and money in the world.Bottom line: Whatever motivates you to keep the momentum going, embrace it with a bear hug. Finding the right editor for you is one of the most fruitful decisions you’ll make in the journey of writing. "Finding the right editor for you is one of the most fruitful decisions you’ll make." How do you work with your editor? What keeps you motivated when going through the revisions? Share your experiences with us, or ask Stacey any question, in the comments below!

How To Tame a Wild Tongue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

How To Tame a Wild Tongue - Essay Example In order to engage the reader with a topic and understanding, Anzaldua finds it necessary to fully utilize Aristotle’s three strategies of argumentation: ethos, logos, and pathos. As a function of this particular understanding, this brief analysis will seek to analyze and draw inference upon the way in which Anzaldua utilizes rhetoric as a means of proving the points that she illustrates within her essay. Within Aristotle’s definition of the word â€Å"ethos†, the understanding and importance of character and the means by which this character is related is ultimately the most important aspect. Likewise, in seeking to understand the rhetorical means by which Anzaldua utilizes ethos as a means of engaging the audience, the reader need look no further than the fact that she does so not by setting herself up as an exception to the norm but rather by exhibiting her personal story through the likely and believable lens that it is necessarily indicative of a broader hum an experience. Although Anzaldua places a strong level of focus upon the personal struggle and unique aspect of identity robbery that language is ultimately affected upon her, this close level of analysis does not preclude the means by which Anzaldua’s character is analogous to humanity in general. In such a way, the defaults that she displays within her argument is born not upon the shoulders of a hero that exhibits a hyper intellects or some other amazing attribute; rather, the strength of her rhetoric buys upon the foundation that it is exhibited within each and every individual. Similarly, with regards to the logos of Anzaldua’s claim, this is clearly exhibited with regards to the sociological and psychological aspects of culture and development that she references within the text. Although the main point of her essay is to underscore the importance that formative experience has upon identity creation, it is impossible to perform such a task without first seeking t o direct a level of analysis based upon the academic understandings of the terms in which she uses. This should not be understood to mean that Anzaldua relies heavily upon an academic interpretation of the experience which she had; rather, it merely illustrates the point that for argument is fully cognizant of the fact that the subject matter in which she attempts to grapple with is ultimately something that can be understood far outside the scope of personal experience. Finally, the last rhetorical approach that Anzaldua utilizes is with regards to pathos. Aristotle necessarily defines pathos as a means of rhetorical argument in which emotional appeal is utilized. It should be understood from a careful analysis of Anzaldua’s essay that this particular method of rhetorical argument perhaps utilize the most. Typically, arguments that are steeped in pathos have traditionally been understood as necessarily weaker. However, within the case of this particular essay, it must be und erstood that the utilization of pathos as a legitimate means of which workable argument is not misplaced nor is it overstated. This is of course due to the fact of the subject matter in which Anzaldua seeks to engage the reader with is naturally one which engenders a great deal of emotion and psychological trauma; both for the writer herself as well as countless other

REFLECTIONS ON YOUR JOURNAL AND THE COURSE Coursework

REFLECTIONS ON YOUR JOURNAL AND THE COURSE - Coursework Example may fall sick at the workplace, either because of overworking or pitiable working conditions, they do not ask for leave because they fear losing their jobs. â€Å"Factors affecting working people today† is also another compelling story (Friedman). It details the economic and social conditions that affect workers in the contemporary society. Top of the list is unworthy working conditions, coupled with other factors such as low pay or underpay, change in technology, insecurity, and cultural and religious differences. The central theme in the stories is unworthy and deplorable working conditions that modern-day workers face in their course of duty. Poor management or negligence in the part of the administration to offer its workers a suitable working environment is a central reason for sickness and work-related injuries. From the journal reading, there are some policies and strategies that employees should adopt to ensure workers do not fall sick. Sickness and absenteeism affects productivity in a workplace, and this is detrimental to the success of an organization. It is essential that employers ensure the safety of their employees at all times through provision of appropriate safety equipment and provision of a healthy work environment. In addition, they should adhere to and enforce necessary labor

Networks and alliances in biotechnology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Networks and alliances in biotechnology - Essay Example It is general perception among the people in the market that the organization with higher quality collection of alliances will perform better in the long run, which leads to higher market valuation of the firms. The report prepared by the analysts of Goldman Sachs (2005) on the biotechnology firms has closely studied the alliances and has published a long list of such alliances, which suggested that there were quite large number of alliances in this sector. Apart from this, a study conducted by Baum, Calabrese and Silverman (2000) on biotechnology firms of Canada has found that the new firms are more capable of leveraging alliances, especially R&D alliances and are seen to grow at a higher rate. This report focuses on the strategic alliances in the biotechnology firms and unleashing their importance and implications. Primary activities of the Biotechnology Firms Biotechnology is one of the most important emerging technologies that generate several applications, which are applied to v arious fields such as healthcare, fine chemistry, food industry, agriculture and even in the environmental development. Biotechnology encompasses various research methods and technologies that are applied in various sectors. For instance â€Å"recombinant DNA technology can be used to produce large molecule medicines in the pharmaceutical sector, create new crop varieties in the agricultural sector, or create micro-organisms that produce industrial enzymes for the chemical sector† (Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, 2005, p. 6). Reasons for collaboration of the biotechnology firms The alliance formation of the biotechnology firms has gained enough attention from many scholars. These scholars have tried to track the motives of the firms behind the alliances and have found quite significant number of reasons. The cost and risk of innovation involved in the product development for the biotechnology firms are quite high so a majority of the firms look for sha ring these risk and cost involved through strategic partnership. Apart from this, the biotechnology firms look for entering into strategic alliance with established rivals in order to avoid direct competition with those rivals in the product market. Keeping these motives in mind the two key driver that encourages the formation of alliance are firstly the accessibility to the knowledge and other complementary resources and secondly the search for legitimacy. Accessibility to the knowledge and other complementary resources An organization can be well defined as an open-system whose survival is highly dependent on the exchange of resources with various environmental aspects such as the competitors, buyers and suppliers. For biotechnology firms the need for accessibility to knowledge and other resources is due to the challenge that they face in commercialising the process and the development of the products that are considered to be highly resources-intensive. A large number of biotechn ology firms do not have the significant amount of required resources necessary for the execution of the process leading to the development of product; moreover, the intense competition leads to the further squeezing of the existing resources. Thus, strategic alliances provide a way of accessing the

Goodbye Mother by Reinaldo Arenas Research Paper - 1

Goodbye Mother by Reinaldo Arenas - Research Paper Example The short story opens with the death of the personas mother. The mother is portrayed as a powerful figure that has overall authority over her children. He recalls how the mother was strict and looked after them with an iron fist. The mother is symbolic of the country, Cuba. They loved their country, but with the revolution, it is constantly changing from the beautiful place they once knew to an ugly, terrible state â€Å"haven’t you notice the smell, the flies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦?† The country is now ruled by dictators, and all the good things are slowly dying (Arenas, pg.316). They have been replaced by beetles, flies, rats and maggots, which have been used metaphorically to refer to the oppressors. Since the coming of the Cuban revolution to power, the people have been oppressed. After the collapse of their motherland, the citizens display their loyalty to their country by choosing to die for it. He is gives a detailed description of the disgraceful behavior of the oppressors by using the flies and maggots to give a vivid a picture. After days of decomposition, the bodies have a started to rot and maggots have invaded it. It displays the rot in the revolution and how the oppressors are devouring the countries resources and mistreating the citizens. After the death of the mother, the sisters stab themselves to death as a sign of solidarity. This signifies the collapse of the pillars of the country. The social and economic aspects of the community are all eroded â€Å"watch how we gracefully glide over the field and garden doomed†¦.† During the revolution era, the country experiences so many calamities (Arenas, pg.316). Cuba suffered massive abuse of power and mistreatment by the dictators. In the Short story, flies have been used metaphorically to compare them to the behaviors and style of leadership employed by the dictators. The dictators have executed and massacred the martyrs, and the young adolescent boys shot in the firing squad. They are

The Future Financial Health of Look Ahead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Future Financial Health of Look Ahead - Essay Example The monthly cash flow statements for Look Ahead are given in the table below. Cash Flow is one of the most important aspects of every business. A cash flow statement shows the total of the actual cash inflows and outflows of a business. A cash flow can be prepared for any time period. It helps the company get a clear view of the liquidity at any given point in time (Gillespie et al, 1997). The statements for Look Ahead provide valuable insight into the liquidity position of the company. The cash flow statements indicate that the liquidity position of Look Ahead will be very weak based on the estimates. Hence it is essential to opt for other sources of funds for maintaining a strong liquidity position (Berry and Jarvis, 1996). The overdraft calculations in the statement indicate the amount required by Look Ahead to prevent negative bank balance. From the table, it is evident that Look Ahead must have a Bank Overdraft option for at least  £ 270,000. The Profit and Loss Statement for Look Ahead is presented below. Profit and Loss Account is a financial statement which shows the companies profits and losses for a given period. A profit and loss account helps the company analyze how the profit or loss arose i.e. the main cause/s for the profit or loss, so as to make informed decisions for the future (Arnold et al, 1985). Based on the estimates, Look Ahead forecasts a profit of  £ 80,000. Profit and Loss statement includes all the expenses and the income recorded during the period, irrespective of whether the payment was received (Britton and Watterston, 1996). The projected balance sheet of Look Ahead in December 2007 is presented below. It is evident that Look Ahead needs to give due consideration to its cash inflows and other sources of funding, as the ending bank balance is negative. Also, the balance sheet indicates a total of  £ 240,000 as debt.

What Music Can Teach Us About Unity Essay Example for Free

What Music Can Teach Us About Unity Essay Music teaches you how to live, it makes you feel emotions, and explains things and situations. Music can motivate, encourage, and energize. Music holds a powerful position. Music can travel across country borders, barbed wire, and conflict. Music cannot be beaten, stolen, jailed, insulted. Music is not one person’s claim; no one can own music. Music can be interpreted according to you; theres no right or wrong way. Music is a language that can be understood universally without translation. In times of need and sadness music has the ability to unite people across cultures. Musicians are given the power to use their music as a bridge to change and social advocacy. After World War II there was a period of time of unparalleled energy. African American soldiers had returned from war and demanded equal rights. Numerous ways of resisting racial segregation and discrimination included civil disobedience, protests, boycotts, and marches. The people who would fight for their American freedom did so without a weapon to kill or the urge to kill. They had one means of protection, however, music. With a strong mind, a song in their heart, a want to be free, they sang through the thickness. Music was a fundamental part of the Civil Rights Movement. Music had given them courage. When non-violent protestors came together they faced beatings, fire hoses, shootings, and jail. They didn’t have any source of protection other than the strength they gained from music. People that went through these trying times , â€Å"sang, in order to uplift their spirits and keep their minds focused on what they were trying to achieve.† (45, Hast) Not only can music cause unity to fight for a cause but it can also bring people together to help out others. On January 12, 2010 Haiti suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. There were 316,000 lives lost (Archibold). Musicians came together in order to create â€Å"We Are the World 25 for Haiti† a remake the 1985 recording for Africa. Within three days of releasing the song had sold over 267,000 downloads. People came together to purchase a song that was created by over eighty musicians (Who). The money was put forward to help with the aid and restoration of a country that did not have enough  resources to care for all of it’s people. The creation of one song brought together the globe in order to raise awareness. In history, sometimes, two opposing sides have been known to come together in peace. Granted, not often in song, but it can happen. In 1914, World War I launched the first substantial European war of the 20th century. Soldiers were told they would have a victory by Christmas but it was a false hope as it lasted for four years.On Christmas Eve of 1914 the British saw the Germans lighting candles and holding small Christmas trees. The message was clear: the Germans, who celebrated Christmas on December 24, were giving holiday greetings to the opposing side. â€Å"And then they sang ‘Silent Night’ ‘Stille Nacht.’†(Vinciguerra) Both sides laid down their weapons and joined in the middle. There was an undeclared truce. Even though the war resumed on December 26th there was still a welcomed pause. One song, a holiday necessity, had shown unity between two opposing sides. Gifts were traded and hands were shaken. A song had stopped a war. Unity is a condition of harmony. When people unite they come together for a common purpose. Unity is friendship, family, alliances. It is being undivided; standing together in both positive times and harsh times. It is multiple parts working together to create one great system. Unity is when people work better together than divided. Every second period of junior year, I would walk to the far side of Oakcrest High School and enter band class. I would pull out my beaten case and construct my alto saxophone for the one-thousand-three-hundred-and-twenty-second time. Second row up in front of Mr. Schwartz is where you can find me hidden behind a music stand. On that stand would be a foreign language; just dots mottled on the pages. I know how to decode that language. I can play that language in three different dialects: saxophone, piano, and clarinet. But, that isn’t the impressive part. When everyone would calm down, when the drummers ceased banging on snare drums, when trumpets stopped running their scales we would start. We didn’t just play our instruments. The clarinets begin with melody playing soft runs and mallet percussion help them reach their goal of measure eight.  There, trumpets begin a fanfare that could be played at a royal procession. All of the instruments meet up at measure twenty-five with melodies and harmonies with the bass drum matching with our ecstatic heartbeats. Music can not be achieved without unity. Even soloists, just one body and one instrument, can create unity through phrasing and technique. But, with a band it is much greater than that. A band cannot succeed if every member plays at 95%. Everyone must play everything correct or the piece falls apart. It is easy to depend on one person, but when there is forty people is when trust really takes place. A band becomes a well oiled machine with numerous parts creating one large system of beauty, defiance, and majesty all in one composition. Music can teach us about unity. This is vital because unity is something that keeps the world functioning. Whether it is a school ensemble, a youth group, a sports team, a business, or a government unity needs to be practiced. Everyone must be able to be on the same path to reach the same goals. The question may be asked, why if unity is so important that it is absent in so many teams? We see teams of all sorts as being dysfunctional. This is because it isn’t simple to be unified. There are always going to be obstacles and negative forces getting in the way of perfect unity. That is why we must look at what music can teach us. It shows the hours of sitting at home with song recordings and sheet music trying to form that perfect sound. It shows the hours of rehearsals where the band director formulates how to make the trombones and the baritone saxaphone play together in perfect harmony. If we can look at the unity of Lynyrd Skynyrd in â€Å"Freebird† or Led Zeppelin in â€Å"Stairway to Heaven† or Metallica in â€Å"Nothing Else Matters† we can learn from them. Maybe we could fix some things. When it is noticed that musicians can realize that without practice and pacifism towards others in band can truly accomplish things. It is hard to relate music to government but if the government could see what musicians can accomplish maybe they could accomplish more. Government is vital and there needs to be compromises, however, so much time is put into just winning the election that they forget why they are really there. They are there to compose their own music (laws) and the only way they can do that is if they  can work together in unity. Music has certain powers that other things do not. Music can break down social boundaries, halt wars, and raise awareness. Unity can bring people together in order to create a purpose. Music can teach us about unity and the way we should be living our lives. We need to have courage, we need to stop conflict, and we need to notice other people than ourselves. Music has the ability to do all of this. Music has the ability to change the world one note at a time. Works Cited Archibold, Randal C. Haiti: Quakes Toll Rises to 316,000. The New York Times. 14 Jan. 2011. The New York Times. 20 Dec. 2012 . Hast, Dorothea E. Exploring the world of music. 2nd ed.: Kendall/Hunt Company, 1999. Vinciguerra, Thomas. The Truce of Christmas, 1914. The New York Times 25 Dec. 2005. 13 Dec. 2012 . Who Do You Think You Are? Season Two. NBC.com. 20 Dec. 2012 .