• Why Freelance Editors Decline Manuscripts

    It’s one thing to receive a rejection from an agent or a publishing house—few writers win the publishing lottery immediately. Your prospective agent may have hit their quota for urban robot romance,…

  • What’s a “Reasonable” Rate?

    When I quote on a project, I prefer to offer a total package price. It’s easier for me, and it reduces surprise fees for the writer. That’s why a large part of…

  • Ask an Editor: Punctuation with Parentheses

    Every Friday I plan on answering a writing or editing question I've received via social media—or submission on this site. Today's topic? Those lovely curvy marks known as parentheses.  Can you provide…

  • I left my heart in ACES2015

    It’s 9:00 a.m., and I’m standing on a corner where two empty streets intersect. It’s clear and sunny, but the wind gnaws at the exposed skin below the knot of my scarf,…

  • What’s in a name?

    Like many children of the 1980s, I grew up playing Nintendo. I started out with a small stack of mother-approved game cartridges that included Excitebike, Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy, and Tetris. If left to…