In the past few years, I've done an enormous amount of editing. I work as a manuscript consultant and help other writers develop their books, and I've (almost completely) rewritten two novels. Here are some of the things I've learned about the editing process:

TOP FALSE ASSUMPTIONS EDITING CLIENTS MAKE

1. An editor will "fix" your manuscript. (An editor can help you fix it.)

The October 2019 edition of "Writing Life Essentials," a monthly hand-curated list of contests, grants, scholarships, submissions calls, and awards, with a focus on opportunities that are at least one of the following: local, free to apply, and/or committed to celebrating and supporting writers from historically marginalized communities. We do the research, so you have more time for what matters: the writing. Or, slaying zombies. That matters too.

With the arrival of October, we're looking forward to jacket season, caramel apples, and all the discounted candy after Halloween. Don't miss out on these November 3-hour seminars and 6-hour weekend workshops: 
 

• The Hook & the Book: An Intensive Two-Day Workshop On The Query and The First Five Pages (11/1 & 11/2)
• Novel Essentials: Arcs and Endings (11/1)
• The Joke’s on You: The Serious Work Of Using Humor in Your Writing (11/1)
• Love Letters and Recipes: Sources for Setting Your Scene (11/1)
• Creating Community Projects (Free) (11/2)
• What Makes It a Poem? …

The September 2019 edition of "Writing Life Essentials," a monthly hand-curated list of contests, grants, scholarships, submissions calls, and awards, with a focus on opportunities that are at least one of the following: local, free to apply, and/or committed to celebrating and supporting writers from historically marginalized communities. We do the research, so you have more time for what matters: the writing

In this post, GrubStreet instructor Ben Berman discusses how learning to think flexibly can help us be more creative.

Flexible thinking refers to our ability to shift or reframe how we are thinking about an idea.

When psychologists measure one’s aptitude for creativity, they often focus on this aspect of thinking. How many uses can you find for a brick? they ask, before grading the responses based on fluency, originality, flexibility and elaboration.