Top 5 irritating editor habits (And what writers can do about them)

On a whim they can subject us to torture of the vilest bilge. On a fancy they can deny us the pleasure of a beautiful composition. They control what comes into the market and what remains. They are the demi-gods of the publishing industry. They are, of course, the Editors.

Where would the writing world be without these paragons of the paragraph? They may work behind the scenes, unobtrusively and unstintingly, yet it is their sweat that lends the sheen of dazzle to the pages they produce. A good editor is worth his/her weight in words. And a really great one can make the difference between the Pushcart...
Read the full article in the Winter 2012 issue of New Writer

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2170 words
Humour/Writing
UK publication

Is your website accessible?

Your website is your showcase to the world. You are proud of it and have invested time and resources into making it useful and relevant. You want everybody who is anybody to visit it. But did you know that you might be restricting an entire group of users – and potential customers – from getting to you? These are people with disabilities, people for whom the most mundane activities in life can be extremely challenging and who struggle to get basic tasks done. Nevertheless, these same people are also doing exactly what the rest of us are – working, enjoying food, leisure and sport. They have spiritual...


Read the full article in the Winter 2011/2012 issue of Work Your Way


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800 words
Nonfiction/Corporate
UK publication

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Words from the Wise

"It's a good feature. I must say that your articles are always very well written. It is nice to be able to simply 'plonk' them in, without having to heavily edit them to make sense. It's perfect as is it."

Mary Cummings

Editor

Work Your Way

From parchment to attachment

‘To be or not to wee, that is the question.’

‘Er, that’s be.’

‘Eh?’

‘That should be not to be, not not to wee.’

‘What the hell is thyself talking about?’

‘Thou said... ah, never mind. Go on reading, will thee?’

‘Right. Moving on. I could a tale unfold, whose lightest word would narrow up thy soul, freeze thy young brood, make thy two eyes, like scars, start from their spheres, thy knitted and combined locks to fart, and each particular hair... ‘

‘Um, that’s harrow not narrow, blood not brood, stars not scars, knotted not knitted and part not, er, fart.’

‘Quite. Look, perhaps thee had better make me...


Read the full article in the January 2012 section of Irascible Professor


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1715 words
Humour
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"We start the new year with a humorous article from a new guest commentator. Devyani Borade riffs eloquently about the changes that technological advances have brought to the craft of writing. And, where they have fallen short. We think you will enjoy this piece."

Dr. Mark H. Shapiro

Editor and Publisher

Irascible Professor

"It's an incredibly witty and well-written piece"

Rebecca Rego Barry

Editor

Fine Books & Collections

"The piece is funny and intriguing"

Zachary Petit

Managing Editor

Writer's Digest

"It's very cute"

Moira Allen

Publisher

Writing World

Managing test data - The challenges of testing on live websites

Angelina Jolie is my customer. Tom Cruise shops at my online store. Sachin Tendulkar has often worked for me collecting meter readings. Wayne Rooney is a frequent supplier who ships my products to their destinations, taking care of fulfilment and logistics. Bill Gates features regularly as a job-hunting candidate when I am posting online jobs. Even Albert Einstein has managed some general administrative work behind the desk for me.

Before you think I am talking through my hat, allow me to tell you that these are all only “user records” in my software application testing!

For those of you who...


Read the full article in the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Software Test and Quality Assurance

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1885 words
Nonfiction/Corporate
US publication

Affectionately yours

My dear friend,

I don’t know how you are or where, but I hope you’re doing fine. We may have lost touch with each other for some time now, but I haven’t forgotten you, I never will. I don’t know what keeps you from writing to me or calling me, but for both our sakes, I hope it is a good enough reason for breaking off that wonderful relationship we shared for a brief period of time in the past – our friendship.

I have come to realise now, that friendship is a burden more than anything else. Though I have been fortunate to include you in its folds, I think that the shoulders of all are not meant to be strong enough...

Read the full article on the Blog of Kansas City Voices

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480 words
Fiction/Drama
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"We really enjoyed your flash fiction piece"

Anonymous

Prose Staff

Rose & Thorn Journal

"I thought that (this was) intriguing"

Richard Rosenbaum

Associate Fiction Editor & Online Fiction Editor

Broken Pencil

Kalia

Kalia watched the dancing water gradually become calm, even as he readied to disturb it again. One rough callused hand fingered the smooth round flawless surface of the second pebble. His eyes, although still young and sharp, were red rimmed and hooded with crusty lids and small sparse eyelashes. At the moment they were narrowed and shielded by his shaggy eyebrows, puckered and closing ranks together against the blazing afternoon sun. With the other hand he brushed back the tail-end of his turban, now soggy with sweat and moisture of the humid air of Fatehgarh village, tucking a stray lock...

Read the full story in the Volume Nine, 2011 issue of Kansas City Voices

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1900 words
Fiction/Drama
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"We feel that it has a unique voice and that the description of the characters and setting are excellent."

Susan Peters

Prose Editor

Kansas City Voices

"The detail is good and the images are strong"

Melinda Selmys

Editor

Vulgata

"It’s a well-written story, and we were impressed with your craft. Clearly it came from a capable hand."

Luc Saunders

Editorial Associate

The Sun

"It is a pleasure to accept your manuscript... fine contribution."

Nathan Grant

Editor-in-Chief

African American Review

An idol is forever, not just for Christmas

10th May 1979. Margaret Thatcher has just become the new prime minister of England. Pluto moves inside Neptune’s orbit for the first time ever since either planet became known to Science. The Sahara desert experiences snow for a period of thirty minutes.

In a small dusty village in the remote interiors of a large state of west India, a tall young man is anxiously pacing the floor outside his house. From time to time, he stops to glance through the open door, then resumes pacing as vigorously as ever. He is oblivious to the heat of the afternoon sun on his bare head, unaware of the scorching earth...

Read the full story in the November 2011 issue of Underground Voices

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1090 words
Fiction/Drama
US publication

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Words from the Wise

"Very well written, and I liked the cycle being played out here."

Anonymous

Editor 1 (of 6)

Flashquake

"We love it."

Anonymous

Editor-in-Chief

Flashquake

"Terribly well written"

Geoffrey C Porter

Editor

Untied Shoelaces Of The Mind

"It is well-written, and the opening is particularly gripping"

Elizabeth Rosen

Essay Editor

Ducts

"I like your work."

Anthony Brown

Editor

Stickman Review

"It's a delightfully written story"

Penni Mitchell

Managing Editor

Herizons

"This is fine writing"

Valerie Polichar

Editor

Grasslimb