#editortips for 06.11.12

@smoulderingsea: Take inspiration from your favorite authors. Don't copy them. If you sell, do you want to be known as "Just another __________?" #editortips

@smoulderingsea: The currency of Twitter is conversation. Promoting your book is fine, but between that? Engage. Be a person. Be real. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Make sure your characters are responding directly to each other in conversation, not having two separate conversations. #editortips #schizo

@smoulderingsea: Neither maniacally refreshing your email nor nagging will make that response come any faster. Go do something productive. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Three things I don't want to see at the start of a book: weather, MC waking up & dreams. Been there, used the Tshirt as a noose. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: One hallmark of a good author is that they learn through progressive edits...without anyone having to break their fingers. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Be bold enough to pursue your writing, but humble enough to be willing to learn, remain flexible, and continue to grow. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Sometimes plotting follows the same principles as the internet: appeal to train-wreck syndrome, and they'll keep coming back. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: When writing graphic scenes, try to stick closer to "deliciously disgusting" and avoid "damn it, I got puke on my Kindle." #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Make your heroine strong on her own merit. Don't denigrate everything male to do it. Misandry does not make a strong heroine. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: The same applies to heroes. Give him real strengths; don't make everyone else pathetic to compensate when he's not amazing. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: When an agent/editor is professionally friendly, that's not an invitation to get all in their grille. Maintain professionalism. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: It's good to pour real emotion into your writing, but don't use it as an emo bucket to catch all your dramatic angsty splooge. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Know your author brand. Mine? A mix of self-deprecating reserve, brazen crackshittery, and daily #editortips. What's yours? #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Even if an editor/agent wasn't right for you, you didn't do anything wrong. Someone out there is just a better fit. Keep trying. #editortips

About #editortips:
#editortips is a daily rash of tweets from an only partially crazy editor, chock full of random chocolatey morsels about writing, editing, and querying vaguely disguised as helpful pointers and/or really bad humor. I tweet as @smoulderingsea, and try to post with some consistency every weekday at 6PM CST. Weekends optional, depending on if I’m spending yet another Saturday night editing because my social life consists of Netflix and discovering the potential for Cherry Coke Zero as a base for homebrew napalm.