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All I need is...
Apr. 13th, 2007 10:17 amI'm now going to reveal one of the secrets of being a published writer™. Being a writer isn't about the money or glamour, both of which are in chronically short supply. It's not about the thrill of seeing your name in print, nor the fun of learning new things that you can incorporate in your stories.
It's not about the the fans, nor the cons, nor the joy of accomplishment when you finally finish a book.
It's all about the office supplies.
Really, you have to trust me on this one. There is no writing dilemma that can not be solved by the acquisition of the appropriate office supplies. There is no greater thrill than the freedom to go into an office supply store and buy whatever you want, secure in the knowledge that it is a legitimate business expense.
And there is no greater proof of the importance of office supplies than when it comes to the copyediting process.
Last time I posted about copyedits, I included my checklist of supplies:
At least 2 freshly sharpened green pencils
1 pencil sharpener (I will obsessively sharpen the pencils throughout the process)
1 artist's eraser
1 pad of small Post-it notes or tape flags
Scrap paper or notepad
Reference sheet of CE symbols & abbreviations
Caffeine, chocolate and alcohol
But I forgot to highlight the most important supply of all: transparent Post-it tape flags, the kind that can be written on.
As I make my first pass through the manuscript, each time I find a correction I want to make, I mark the place with a transparent tape flag and write the correction on the flag.
When I'm ready for the final pass (which usually involves a suitable cooling off period), I go through each page and either copy the correction onto the manuscript itself, or decide that it wasn't necessary. The tape flag acts as a pressure release valve. Before I found these, I would sometimes make a correction on the manuscript, then wind up erasing it later. This way I only write on the manuscript after I've made my final decision.
Office supplies--is there nothing they can't do?
If you'd like to know more about what's involved in the copyediting process from an author's side, click here to read my previous post on the subject.
ETA This entry is a spam magnet, so I've turned off comments.
It's not about the the fans, nor the cons, nor the joy of accomplishment when you finally finish a book.
It's all about the office supplies.
Really, you have to trust me on this one. There is no writing dilemma that can not be solved by the acquisition of the appropriate office supplies. There is no greater thrill than the freedom to go into an office supply store and buy whatever you want, secure in the knowledge that it is a legitimate business expense.
And there is no greater proof of the importance of office supplies than when it comes to the copyediting process.
Last time I posted about copyedits, I included my checklist of supplies:
At least 2 freshly sharpened green pencils
1 pencil sharpener (I will obsessively sharpen the pencils throughout the process)
1 artist's eraser
1 pad of small Post-it notes or tape flags
Scrap paper or notepad
Reference sheet of CE symbols & abbreviations
Caffeine, chocolate and alcohol
But I forgot to highlight the most important supply of all: transparent Post-it tape flags, the kind that can be written on.
As I make my first pass through the manuscript, each time I find a correction I want to make, I mark the place with a transparent tape flag and write the correction on the flag.
When I'm ready for the final pass (which usually involves a suitable cooling off period), I go through each page and either copy the correction onto the manuscript itself, or decide that it wasn't necessary. The tape flag acts as a pressure release valve. Before I found these, I would sometimes make a correction on the manuscript, then wind up erasing it later. This way I only write on the manuscript after I've made my final decision.
Office supplies--is there nothing they can't do?
If you'd like to know more about what's involved in the copyediting process from an author's side, click here to read my previous post on the subject.
ETA This entry is a spam magnet, so I've turned off comments.