Sunday, February 17, 2013

More Sets of Eyes

A discussion/debate broke out recently in the Indie Authors group I belong to on Facebook in which a writer was suggesting that editors aren't needed any more.  Most of us disagreed with him; even if you're a solid writer with solid technical skills, it's still important to have another set of eyes on the project.

By way of providing an example, I present my soon-to-be-available third book's blurb:

The King of Atlantis has been kidnapped. Every sign points to Matt, the God of War, as the culprit, and heavenly outrage is the result. As East prepares to meet West in a war of the pantheons, Crystal finds herself in the surprising role of lead investigator. Unlikely allies come to her aid as she searches to find the king—and his real abductor—before battle is joined by the most powerful forces in the universe. 

Kind of--well, kinda, right?  I presented it to my awesome publishing group (the Alexandria Publishing Group) for comment, and once I'd incorporated the wisdom the other sets of eyes had provided me, it's this:

The powerful King of Atlantis, beloved by his warrior followers, has been kidnapped.  Every sign points to the God of War as the culprit and heavenly outrage is the result.  As East prepares to meet West in a war of the pantheons, Crystal, wife of the God of War and newly-ascended goddess, finds herself in the surprising role of lead investigator.  Unlikely allies come to her aid as she searches to find the king—and his real abductor—before battle is joined by the most powerful forces in the universe.  

Better?  I think so.

Bottom line: every additional (qualified) set of eyes on your creative work yields improvement.

- TOSK

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