MY WEEKLY BLOG<\/p>\n
TO TELL THE TRUTH<\/p>\n
Part of my writing career is editing manuscripts. I\u2019m what they call \u201ca book doctor.\u201d I read a manuscript, evaluate it and decide what
works and what doesn’t. I\u2019ve done it a lot, I\u2019m accustomed to determining the chapters are in sequence, if there are segues that allow a smooth\u00a0transition from one paragraph or paragraph to the next, if the writing is\u00a0clear, if the punctuation is correct, it there is attention to detail and if a\u00a0story arc has a beginning, a middle and an end.<\/p>\n
I do this in steps. Before I take the job, I usually ask for the first ten\u00a0 pages so I can see if that particular topic and author is right for me to do. If I see that I can be of help, if I think I can make the book better and more accessible to a reader, I agree to do it and we come to an agreement on cost and time.<\/p>\n
The next step is reading the book\u00a0through from start to finish. I became \u201cany reader,\u201d and I ask myself, does it\u00a0makes sense? Does it pull me in or does it make me wish I was reading something\u00a0else? Are there missing pieces or is it overwritten? Should I make corrections\u00a0on the page or should I take notes? Or both. All of that is familiar to me, I\u00a0do it pretty naturally by now and and I enjoy it. It\u2019s a lot of work but in the\u00a0scheme of things, it\u2019s the easy part.<\/p>\n
The hard part is telling the truth about\u00a0the work without discouraging the client so much, they throw the manuscript into\u00a0a closet and slam the door. Early in my career, an agent was so cruel, I took\u00a0to my bed and decided never to write again. I got up the next day and carried
on, but it wounded my self-esteem and I had to heal before I could get back to\u00a0my book and continue working on it. These kinds of experiences have taught me\u00a0to take care when I tell the truth to a client. That\u2019s what he or she paid me\u00a0for, but there are ways to soften the blow and encourage rather than discourage.\u00a0It isn’t necessary to be critical with a hard edge and ruin someone\u2019s day.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m using my experience here as an\u00a0editor to demonstrate how telling the truth requires forethought and tact. But\u00a0life in general presents us with opportunities to find a loving and\u00a0compassionate way to speak up and let someone know how we feel without causing
them to be defensive or to ghost us because they feel so hurt. We\u2019ve all been\u00a0the recipient of harsh criticisms and being shamed for something that we’ve created.\u00a0I attended a poetry circle many years ago and after I took a risk and read one\u00a0of my poems aloud, a woman in the class said I sounded sappy like a Hallmark\u00a0greeting card. She criticized everyone harshly and when it was her turn to\u00a0read, she got up and left.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve learned that at times, instead\u00a0of telling the truth, it\u2019s better to just keep my mouth shut. I don’t chime in\u00a0unless someone asks me directly what I think, but even then, I can find a way\u00a0to say what\u2019s on my mind without tearing someone down. If they ask me something
and I want to be delicate about it, I search for a way to respond that is\u00a0thoughtful and useful to anyone who is looking for guidance.<\/p>\n
There is a famous saying, \u201cDon’t kill\u00a0the messenger.\u201d That means that if someone tells you the truth, don\u2019t project\u00a0your anger on him or her. Just look inside and see if their opinion \u00a0resonates. If it\u00a0doesn’t, toss it because it has nothing to do with you. If it feels right, integrate
it.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been told not to ask a question\u00a0if I\u2019m not prepared to hear an honest answer. That puts some of the burden of truth\u00a0on the asker. Buddhist nun, Pema Chodron, says, \u201cThe truth you believe in and
cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.\u201d It may be hard to hear\u00a0the truth, but if you become vulnerable, open your heart and listen, the truth\u00a0can be a great gift for your mental and spiritual development. Feminist and\u00a0author Gloria Steinem wrote a book entitled, \u201cThe Truth Will Set You Free, But\u00a0First it Will Piss You Off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MY WEEKLY BLOG TO TELL THE TRUTH Part of my writing career is editing manuscripts. I\u2019m what they call \u201ca book doctor.\u201d I read a manuscript, evaluate it and decide whatworks and what doesn’t. I\u2019ve done it a lot, I\u2019m accustomed to determining the chapters are in sequence, if there are segues that allow a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1985,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andreacagan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}