Plus, a book giveaway and epitaphs

Hello Reader,

This edition of Writing Practices is as packed as a kid's Halloween bucket in my neighborhood (which is to say stuffed!) Here you'll find:

• The October book give-away
• Funny tombstone epitaphs contributed by readers
• An offer for unbiased news

First, though, the writing advice. You may notice that I'm putting the text of the post in the email rather than sending you to my blog. I'm experimenting with this newsletter—let me know if you have a strong feeling either way.

Trusting your instincts

The other day I fretted before delivering a manuscript critique to a nonfiction author who had sought out my advice. My take: she should lop off the first and third parts of a (quite long) manuscript to focus more clearly on unique and valuable middle.

One always worries how people will feel when you suggest they drop 30,000 words.

When the day arrived, however, her reaction wasn't defensive or hurt. Instead, she said she was relieved.

She thought perhaps the first part didn't belong, and she didn't feel comfortable with the last part. She only wrote it because she thought she should.

Her sense of relief was an important clue. Her instincts told her not to include these sections, but her mind was overthinking it. My critique gave her the courage to do what she really wanted all along.

Your gut is smarter than you think

The older I get, the more I believe in embodied intelligence — paying attention to your physical reactions and feelings alongside logical thoughts. When writing, our feelings of discomfort or boredom might be valuable signals.

Are you uncomfortable because you are being vulnerable? That’s probably a good signal. Do you just “not like” something or worry it doesn’t fit? Pay attention to what your body tells you about your work.

You don’t always need to cut the bits that give you pause. Perhaps you need a different approach or a shifted perspective. But when you ignore your reactions altogether, you may be passing on that discomfort to the reader.

Think of your reader and their needs, of course. Ask others for their gut reactions, if they are similar to your reader. Then, cross-check their responses with your own gut.

Your inner editor may know exactly where the problem lies and what should stand.

Want to share this post with someone? Here's the link.

October's book give-away

If you're interested in getting a traditional publishing deal for a book, put your name in for this month's give-away: Write Through It by Kate McKean. Written by a literary agent, it primarily covers traditional publishing, and offers an interesting insider's view, along with solid, practical advice.

To enter the drawing, respond to this email by Sunday, October 25th. Good luck!

More tombstones

Early this month I invited you and people on LinkedIn to submit their humorous epitaphs. (See Words for the Tombstone, if you missed it.) Here are a few that came in, for your entertainment. Mostly writerly humor:

I couldn't LIVE — without the em-dash!

Here lies Elizabeth. Taken from us too soon by MS Word

Here lie Emily Dashing & Emmett Moore,
killed over them em-dashes they both adore.
Now – no Ems, no Dashing, no more.

HERE LIES INNOVATION
Bold Ideas. Big Ambition.
Still Waiting for Permission.

Mel Blanc: Thats All Folks!

Unbiased news

I'm also experimenting with targeted sponsorships for this newsletter to offset my book give-away costs! This one, targeting "curious readers" seemed like a great fit for this audience.

Let me know if you have strong opinions on the changes in this newsletter, and what you'd like to see more of.

Keep writing your way through October, and I'll be back next month!

Anne

PO Box 66285 Scotts Valley, CA 95067

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