Can an Editor "Fix" Really Bad Writing?

By Katrin Schumann
Editors often see projects at radially different stages of development. Truthfully, we sometimes see writing that is really, well, bad.
But does this mean it’s hopeless? When do you know if something is too "bad" to be worth fixing?
Of course, "bad" is a highly subjective term. Writing might seem "bad" to one reader, while another reader loves it
Katrin Schumann
Spring 2021 Multi-Week Classes are Here

We're excited to reveal our spring 2021 multi-week classes below.
As GrubStreet continues to practice social distancing, all spring 2021 “in-person” classes will be held remotely via video conferencing. We remain so thankful to everyone in our community for showing up online to support each other and your own writing practice.
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Being a "Good Enough" Writer is a Brilliant Strategy

By Katrin Schuman
All writers are a crazy mixture of egotistical, manic, single-minded, optimistic on the one hand and sensitive, catastrophizing, scattered and pessimistic on the other - at least all the ones I know. How do we live and produce work in a world filled with such extremes? Especially now when our political and physical reality is so chaotic?
Katrin Schumann
What Writers Do in Times of Crisis

By Katrin Schumann
I sat down to write this post and have now written four openings and ditched them all.
What do writers need to hear in times like this? How can I be helpful to others when that which binds us--our obsessive love of words, books, writing--is overshadowed so universally by our fear of the unknown?
Do I tell you how to make lemons out of lemondade?* Do I reveal that I'm writing page after page despite the uncertainty and boredom
Katrin Schumann
Books & Reading Craft Advice New Writing The Workshop The Writing Life
Is Productivity Always Good for Writers?

By Katrin Schumann
How long does it really take to write a book? From beginning the first draft to seeing it on bookshelves? It's generally accepted that more books = more success/ happiness. But what does being "productive" really mean, and does it make you happy as a writer?
I used to think the solution to almost all writerly problems lay in having more time—a comforting thought since I had so very little of that particular commodity. Simple, I thought: when I have more time, I'll do more writing, and I'll be happy and productive.
On some level ...
Katrin Schumann

