Editors have to see what most of us don’t. There may be a gem of a good idea hidden beneath a mountain of prose. Or, there may be mellifluous words that are all sound and no fury. Either way, it’s the editor’s job to point the errant writer to the path of writeousness. (Yes, I know. I can hear the groans from here). The Evil Editor (actual identity unknown) exists to help those that can’t help themselves. He or she serves up four options for your reading pleasure:
- Face-Lifts: Query letters for possible books are submitted to the site, posted as-is, then edited and commented upon by the Evil Editor. Often hilarious, but also helpful
- Guess the Plot: The EE offers the titles to queried works. Readers write 25 word possible plot summaries. Quite hilarious, and fun to try.
- New Beginnings: Authors send the first 150 words of their book to the site. Readers add what they think might comes next.
- The Next Line: Like New Beginnings, but it’s usually an excerpt with a lot of dialogue. Readers add the next few lines.
- Q&A: Ask the EE a question. Hope for an answer. Pray for your self-confidence.
What’s nice about the site is its wit as well as its value. There’s a method to the madness here, and it will actually help you become a better writer. At the very least, it may give you some good ideas for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.
[via the Wunderfool]
[with a nod to advertising pens]
