By Mark Antony Rossi

I’ve been meaning to write this particular column for quite some time. Distractions abound. But it’s close to my heart nevertheless. I promise.

There’s practically a cottage industry out there seeking to help writers — for a price. A big price! I called one out the other day on Facebook. She was peddling “editing services” at 1K a pop. (That’s a thousand dollars to supposedly edit a 300 page manuscript.)

Don’t fall for this nonsense. These people are leeches who will suck your money and then your talent out a drafty window. The leech I was referring privately messaged me and was gleeful she was making 5K a month “helping” writers.

I blasted her on Facebook and reminded writers there are other options to get editing help that doesn’t require handing over your hard earned dollars. The very best way is to find a beta reader on Facebook and exchange editing services. It’s free and an enormous learning experience. Plus you will get honest insight unlike paid editors who do some grammar police work and a few pointers about a character.

The horror discovered from hiring one of these phonies is you work won’t improve. They have nothing to add to really help you move the manuscript along. You’ll be shocked to learn a great many have no books or writing credits to their name. Only some vague reference to editing once for a big publishing house. The old adage is correct: those that can—-Write. Those that can’t — Teach.

What writers need is a basic structure to start out with. Any dime store novel can give you this without being ripped by non writers who claim they have a Masters in Creative Arts. From there you can start your writing and later you can alter the structure to fit what you have envisioned.

But please stay away from publishing consultants, editors for hire, writing life coaches. These are not artistic people who care about your dream. They want your money and your failure. That way you can pay them again. You can buy dinner for a trusted friend and find out more after he/she reads it. Take my advice and put away your debit card.

About the Author: Mark Antony Rossi is a poet, playwright and author of the bioethics volume “Dark Tech” now available from Amazon. His most recent plays have been produced in Liverpool and New York.

http://ethical-stranger.webnode.com/ 

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