I’m participating in Christina Katz’s Writer Mama Two-Year Anniversary blog tour and giveaway. I’ve been a big admirer of Christina and enjoyed both of her books, Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
Today's Book Drawing at The Writer Mama
To enter to win a signed, numbered copy of Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, answer the following question in the comments below:
On a scale of one to 10, with one being not afraid of editors at all and 10 being very afraid of editors, how does your editor-phobia rank? If you've recovered from editor-phobia, please share your experience.
Only US residents, or folks with a US mailing address can participate in the drawing. Please only enter once per day.
Now, a guest post from Christina about editor phobia
Before I tell you how my first book proposal went for me, I want to touch briefly on the topic of editor-phobia. A lot of writers have editor-phobia, not just writer mamas. And this is a topic we go into in my writing classes because the phenomenon is so common.
What’s editor-phobia? It’s an excessive fear of having your writing judged and edited by publishing industry gatekeepers (aka editors). What I’ve noticed in my classes is that writers’ attitudes towards editors are usually on a spectrum. They go all the way from a fairly detached, professional attitude to a fairly emotional, fearful perception of editors as enemies.
If I had to put a number on it, I’d say that about fifty percent of the students I’ve taught over the past eight years have experienced editor-phobia severely enough to impede their progress as writers. Fear of editorial feedback can become a block that leads to procrastination, sabotage, and even giving up writing for publication because of the inevitable editorial process required.
When I started writing cover letters and query letters (a long time ago), I experienced a fair amount of editor-phobia, which is what alerted me to the phenomenon in the first place. I think that the invisibility of editors was more of a factor in the past. Editors are really just regular old people who happen to be handy with a red pen. Today, writers are lucky because editors are more visible and accessible than they used to be, and often teach and attend conferences.
Believe it or not, getting edited isn’t personal. Getting edited is just part of the business of being a writer. And whether you get edited a lot or a little, editors really aren’t the enemy. They are much more concerned with strong, clear writing that fits the tone and style of their publication than anything else.
And if you continue to suffer from editor-phobia despite your best efforts to overcome it, don’t sweat it. Because plenty of other writers have experienced editor-phobia before you and can probably relate to your fears. So if you suffer from editor-phobia, keep in mind that you are not alone and you can get past it. Some day you will be so busy and successful, you will hardly remember to remember the day when you used to be afraid of mean ol’ editors and their scary red pens.
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
Remember, To enter to win a signed, numbered copy of Writer Mama, answer the following question in this below:
On a scale of one to 10, with one being not afraid of editors at all and 10 being very afraid of editors, how does your editor-phobia rank? If you've recovered from editor-phobia, please share your experience.
Thanks for participating! Only US residents, or folks with a US mailing address can participate in the drawing. Please only enter once per day.
Where will the drawing be tomorrow? Visit The Writer Mama to continue reading the rest of the Writer Mama story throughout March 2009!
