A View to Editing– Ryan Casey

  Though the basic elements within the writing process are consistent for all writers, the overall journey for each writer is beautifully unique. For this installment of my new series, “A View to Editing,” I am honored to introduce you to author, Ryan Casey! Today he is giving us a look inside his writing life, his upcoming novel, and of course, his view on the editing process. I was first introduced to Casey’s writing when I read (for pleasure) his short story Silhouette. It is an  outstanding  story centered upon the subject of time-travel and wrapped in...

Five Reasons why you Need an Editor

“Oh. I just edit my own stuff.”  That’s nice. Who edits your work after you? I recently heard a fantastic analogy from author Daniel Audet about editing your own work. He says, “No race car driver can also be his own mechanic and he’ll never win any races without a good one.” Whether you are blogging every day or working painstakingly on what’s sure to be the next New York Times Best Seller, you have a message for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of readers. With that many people reading your words, it is imperative your writing be perfect.  A...

Writing is Hard: Part I

A post from the past that bears repeating: “When something can be read without great effort, great effort has gone into its writing.” ~Enrique Poncela   Mr. Poncela’s statement ranks as my number one favorite writing quote of all time. In a mere 15 words, he speaks encouragement, truth, and inspiration about what it means to write. Writing is hard. Writing something for others to read is excruciating. It’s a long soap- operatic relationship with your mind, filled with anxiety, love, self-doubt, exhilaration, jealousy, depression, manipulation, and a secret...

Language Lost and Found in Reading

Reading engages the mind in intellectual whimsy. I recently expressed my wonder and worry about the direction of our language. As we live our lives conversing through Facebook status updates, Tweets, and texts—cementing terms like ‘OMG’, and ‘LOL’ into our permanent lingual records—what is the fate of the hundreds of thousands of lexical gems we’ve already cultivated within our language? When I peruse my dictionary I see a vibrant collection of terms never used– forgotten or unlearned words that could so beautifully and richly express ideas, life, and...

Why I am an Editor

You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what’s burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke.” ~ Arthur Plotnik Everyone has a story to tell. Something they need to say. Even though each of us is uniquely different from each other, and we work hard to stay that way, deep down we are all fundamentally the same. We all need and want (at different levels) love, acceptance, success, power, peace, security, and a sense of belonging. We live our lives experiencing, learning, and growing while seeking all these things…...

Nancy Drew found me

It’s no coincidence my business is called Pen to Paper Communications. I love putting pen to paper. There is nothing more organic about writing than grabbing a sheet of paper and a pen and letting the musings of the mind pour through the tip of the pen in a rush of ink onto a fresh page. The pen and page is to me as the brush and canvas is to a painter. Any empty page will do as it’s the thoughts that matter most; however, the pages that live in between the covers of a new journal are what attract me. I have many journals none of which are full because I pick out a new...