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Melanie Rigney, editor and writer with 30 years experience.
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The
biggest fight I ever had with my best friend, Patricia Lorenz, was
about what defines a writer. To Pat, the author of thirteen books and a
contributor to countless editions of Daily Guideposts and the Chicken
Soup series, a writer writes for publication, pure and simple; as far as
she’s concerned, if you don’t publish, you’re not a real writer.
For
me, a writer writes. Not necessarily every day, and not necessarily
anything meant to be read by a wide audience. That may sound strange
from someone who’s spent most of her adult life as an editor (www.editorforyou.com),
but it’s true. While it’s intoxicating when God takes our words into a
venue where they can be read by hundreds or thousands or millions of
people, words aimed for a limited audience also can have awesome power.
Maybe keeping a private journal helps you survive in a difficult
situation. Maybe the e-mail you send a friend in chemotherapy keeps her
going one more day. Maybe the note inside the birthday card you send
your sister gives her the strength to put a smile on when she deals with
her child entering rehab yet again. You don’t make the best-seller list
with that kind of writing. You do have the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing what God asks you to do with your gift.
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Thanks, Melanie, for your contributions to Cyber-guest Friday. It's nice to have a veteran editor at the bistro. Anyone looking for ways to make their manuscript sing or for content / developmental editing can contact Melanie by clicking the link below:
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