Ask the experts

I've mentioned before that few writers can do it all themselves. I'd like to extend that a little further by adding that regardless of the amount of research, it is next to impossible to get it just right.

So, as authors, I highly advise you go get in contact with people in the know. If you write police procedural, contact your local police department and see if there are any officers that would be willing to spend some time talking about how police work actually happens. 

Just make sure you keep it clear that you are only researching for a novel. I may have been involved in a minor bit of confusion that ended up with the police chief requiring an interview...

Never mind.

If you are writing about fire fighters, talk to a fire fighter. If you are writing about soldiers, talk to a soldier.

If you are writing about dragons...well, talk to yourself. Don't act like you don't. We've all been there.

Someone knows better. You may have a romanticized idea of how a job exists that has been warped by TV, movies and poorly-researched novels. Ask someone in the know. You may be surprised at how willing the experts are to help you tell the story right.

For your editing needs…

I have no doubt that there are people out there that type with near perfect syntax, grammar and spelling. I am nto one of those people.

*not

…I thought that would be funnier.

On top of that, I’m impatient with my own writing. When I finish my first draft it feels special and original and downright wonderful. It loses a little of the shine the second time. By the third time, I want to write something else. By my third read through I have already spent too much time writing, changing and thinking about the story. My mind draws connections and reads things the way they should be, but not necessarily the way they appear on the page.

As such, I just want to publish.

Don’t do that.

While you can make changes to your book whenever you want after self-publishing (at least if you use KDP like I do), you don’t want to be selling your product with simple mistakes that your mind skips over, but the reader catches from a mile away.

Trust me.

It’s taken a little time, but I have found patience in my writing. Even though I sell my books for $0.99, I still want the reader to enjoy the story as much as possible. Reading a spelling mistake or word confusion is a speed bump on the Autobahn.

You may be tempted to save money and just do it yourself or with the help of your friends. If you and your friends have a great eye and grasp of editing, go for it. Personally, I prefer to invest a little money in having a professional do it for me.

I’m lazy and often working on three different books at the same time. Why not help someone else out financially for a service that I desperately need while focusing on the thing I would rather do?

I have no idea if that last sentence made sense. See what I mean?

Now, you can go the Craigslist route. You’ll get all kinds of emails from experienced professionals looking to supplement their income. It’s actually a little shocking to me how many people out there are looking for editing gigs.

The problem I ran into was timeframe. There was what the editor said was possible and then there was reality.

Now I use elance.com.

You can completely outline what you are looking for from an editor, set your timetable for payment and choose the bidder that best represents what you are looking for both financially and in terms of experience.

The bid you agree on is kept in an escrow account and the money is only released upon satisfactory completion of the job. You can also check your bidders’ work history on the site and see if other people have been happy with their services.

Personally, I was hooked by the capability to set my own terms. Much like my experiences on deviantart.com (see previous blog post) I am looking for specific requirements and want them met if it means I am spending my hard-earned money.

I couldn’t be happier with the services provided by elance.com and will use them any time I am looking for writing services.

The account set up only takes a few minutes and you can get your job listed soon after. Within about an hour I had over a dozen bids ranging from $100-$1000. Keep in mind that your should add your expectations for completion and total word count for your novel in the job posting so you can get an accurate bid.

Enjoy.

Note to self: look for endorsement possibilities from elance.com and deviantart.com