A great interview subject, Saran. My two favourite bits were:
1. "The piece you’re working on is not yours; your job is to get behind the author, help make the piece compelling so that a reader will keep going, not let in anything that would break the spell, like a typo or a jarring grammatical error." I am editing someone's pieces and trying to ensure I am doing what's required and not going overboard. This was a good reminder of the approach to take.
2. "Humor is part of the package, a way of seeing things, skewing things, and it differs from wit in that it’s not necessarily conscious. Wit is a punch line. Humor is baked in." Another good reminder. Going to read The Divine Funeral to see how it's done.
PS: Love reading charming, humorous books, so thanks for bringing them on my radar!
Thank you for reading, Esha! The editing advice was a good reminder for me too as effective editing requires a lot of sensitivity to the written word. I also appreciated the distinguishing of humor from wit. Glad to hear that these two were your favorites! Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
What a strong start to the series! This was such an interesting interview to read through. I loved reading about Mary's past failure. I think as writers we often chase perfection and try to hide our moments of humanness, so reading about her experience was refreshing. Also, loved the favorite brand of pencil question!!
Thank you for your comment, Janice! Yes, Mary’s career journey is very inspiring, and I’ve been going around recommending her books for people to read. Her honesty and humor are what kept me reading until the very last page.
Yes, I just had to ask the pencil question because the Comma Queen would know the best! I’ll be on the lookout for some Blackwing 602s next time I’m in a stationery store.
A great interview subject, Saran. My two favourite bits were:
1. "The piece you’re working on is not yours; your job is to get behind the author, help make the piece compelling so that a reader will keep going, not let in anything that would break the spell, like a typo or a jarring grammatical error." I am editing someone's pieces and trying to ensure I am doing what's required and not going overboard. This was a good reminder of the approach to take.
2. "Humor is part of the package, a way of seeing things, skewing things, and it differs from wit in that it’s not necessarily conscious. Wit is a punch line. Humor is baked in." Another good reminder. Going to read The Divine Funeral to see how it's done.
PS: Love reading charming, humorous books, so thanks for bringing them on my radar!
Thank you for reading, Esha! The editing advice was a good reminder for me too as effective editing requires a lot of sensitivity to the written word. I also appreciated the distinguishing of humor from wit. Glad to hear that these two were your favorites! Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
What a strong start to the series! This was such an interesting interview to read through. I loved reading about Mary's past failure. I think as writers we often chase perfection and try to hide our moments of humanness, so reading about her experience was refreshing. Also, loved the favorite brand of pencil question!!
Thank you for your comment, Janice! Yes, Mary’s career journey is very inspiring, and I’ve been going around recommending her books for people to read. Her honesty and humor are what kept me reading until the very last page.
Yes, I just had to ask the pencil question because the Comma Queen would know the best! I’ll be on the lookout for some Blackwing 602s next time I’m in a stationery store.
Thank you for reading!