I guess it’s been a while since I’ve had anything to blog about. Today is the day to change all that. 

I am in a writing slump at the moment. I think a lot of factors have fed into this. Since the beginning of the year, I lost my job, started a new one, packed up and moved, downsizing from a decent size home to a very small condo. My son moved back in, which we weren’t planning on when we signed the lease on the condo. Tight is an understatement. On top of that, I’ve been battling issues with a chronically inflamed ankle tendon (posterior tibial tenosynovitis) since January, which is finally resolving. I went through five months of constant pain, and in the state of Florida, it’s easier to get pain meds for dogs than it is to get them for humans who need them. Overuse of NSAIDs brought their own issues.

None of these things are conducive to productive writing. I tried my hand at a few things, the poetry anthology being one of them. Not my forte, but it was a good experience. Instead of writing, I’ve helped a few fellow authors out with editing and beta reading, which brings me to the guts of the blog. 

Writing, editing, and beta reading are three different things. Let me repeat myself... writing, editing, and beta reading are three different things.

Let’s start with the first one.

Writing

Writing is creating stories. It’s bringing one’s imagination to life. It’s providing an outlet to the voices in one’s head. It’s whatever the AUTHOR wants it to be. Every story has an author. This site has plenty of them, whether they be spectacular, great, mediocre, or just starting out, and have no idea when to use commas.  

Editing

Editing is providing support in the form of grammatical and spelling corrections. A good editor will make suggestions to improve the story— it might be adding a missed detail or maybe an alternate way of wording something, usually clarifying or simplifying. Occasionally, and this depends on the relationship between the author and the editor, an editor might add a few sentences to enhance the story—NOT change it. If there are significant changes that an editor feels are necessary, then a conversation should be had between the author and the editor. In the end, it’s the AUTHOR’s sole discretion as to whether or not they will implement ANY of the suggestions an editor makes, even the ones correcting spelling or grammar. The author may have a reason for leaving it in. 

Beta Reading

This one can be trickier. It all depends on the author and the beta. Technically, a beta reader should provide feedback and constructive criticism of an author’s story. Some betas do just that. Others are more like second editors, often catching things that were overlooked. 

Every relationship between an author and their team is different. I’ve worked with probably 10-15 different people on my stories and theirs. Everyone is unique. 

The hardest thing a team can encounter is when the lines get blurred between the different designations. At the end of the day, every story must be credited to the author. They make the final decisions as to how they want their story posted. No matter who the support team is for any author, final credit must be attributed to the person who wrote the story. 

So, as you enjoy whatever story you’re invested in, please give credit where credit is due. Anything less or incorrect can lead to a rift between a team. This can happen with seasoned teams as well as those just starting. It can make any member of the team start doubting themself. 

Please keep this in mind when commenting or reviewing.