#editortips for 09.10.12

@smoulderingsea: Just because an agent or editor says they like X book doesn't mean they won't like yours if it's not like X. Tastes vary. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: If you send a rude follow-up at 12:01am the day after a response deadline, some might think twice about working with you. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: That's not to say there's anything wrong with a follow-up email. A polite inquiry or quick reminder is rarely an issue. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Don't ever assume anything in publishing. People are too variable, and the rules change all the time. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Parents in YA are for more stifling the MC. Or dying violently/tragically. Use them to develop characters through relationships. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: You don't have to introduce your villain in the first chapter, but you should at least foreshadow the stakes. Tension matters. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Repeat after me: word-comma-space-word. In that order. Not word-space-comma-space-word. Not word-space-comma-word. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Academic writing and fiction writing are barely even the same species of animal. Don't fall back on academic writing styles. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Please don't write your book as a giant collection of memes and pop culture references that will lose relevance in 3 months. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: ...amendment to the last #editortips: unless you're @andrewtshaffer. He could make that shit timeless.

@smoulderingsea: I almost just did this: It grates on my nerves when people think "great" is spelled "grate." I want to hold them over a grate. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: If you're unfamiliar with a topic, don't bullshit. Someone will catch you, and then your book loses all validity. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: If you can't figure out if you should use "me" or "I," take the other person out of the sentence. You'll figure it out. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: Some authors play games, trying to manipulate their editors so they get their way. Don't. It'll backfire on you every time. #editortips

@smoulderingsea: The more you work on developing your craft, the less time you'll have for self-doubt...along with fewer reasons. #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 offending your delicate sensibilities.