One key to identifying DE problems is understanding reader expectations, and reader expectations are closely tied to genre. Understanding Reader Expectations When I read a romance, I expect it to end happily ever after. I don’t care if you have a great idea for a heart-breaking ending. I don’t want a heartbreaking ending. I want…
Learning how to read is a crucial skill for developmental story editors. Years ago, I was teaching a university lit class that all new freshmen were required to take. For one reason or another, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” was on the syllabus. All of the students had encountered this poem before, and all…
This time of year, things slow down at Club Ed and I have time to reflect on the past year. I always learn a new lesson or two. This year, the lesson was “simplify.” It may not look like it when you see all of the classes available on Club Ed, but we’ve streamlined a…
In June, a plugin conflict caused the Club Ed website to crash. This was after a server problem took it offline for a weekend and we had to switch hosts. I thought I was going to lose my mind. Having Club Ed offline not only costs money but greatly inconveniences students. The website developer said,…
Newer editors often struggle with imposter syndrome, which is the feeling that they’re not really good at their work and pretty soon everyone will see right through them and point their fingers and laugh. I’ve struggled with this (imposter syndrome, not pointing fingers and laughing) off-and-on throughout my career, as do most people who want…
This is the season when a lot of people, including me, spend a fair amount of time thinking about our goals for the new year. Over the years, I’ve used various frameworks for thinking about what I want to do, what I want my business to do, and what I want my life to look…
My daughter likes the idea of dogs more than she actually likes the reality of them, sort of like me and home ownership. So we both enjoy these things safely at a distance. “What a cute house!” I say as I walk on by. “What a cute dog!” she says as she walks on by….
Once upon a time, I was a magazine editor, and every year the January issue would include some form of “New Year, New You!” article. I probably used that exact title more than once. People often use the beginning of something to start a new habit, such as learning a new skill. The start of…
I’m a daily reader of the ChumpLady website, which is a great resource for people who are dealing with cheaters in their romantic relationships. I read it not because I’ve ever lived with or left a cheater but because it offers incredible insight into narcs and other personality disordered types, which I have had to…
Once upon a time, I would write and publish a blog post and then I would write and publish another blog post, and then another and so on until I had a lot of blog posts. It was a great deal of work, and not always rewarded. Some posts got attention, some didn’t, but in…