First, and most importantly, thanks to Chris Cameron for pointing out that Peter Piper picked a PECK of pickled peppers, not a pint. Once, children, a “peck” was a meaningful measurement. In England, they still use stones for weight; one stone = 14 pounds. Crazy folk.

Spent hours today reading on the computer – which I spend so much time doing, it’s a miracle I ever read on paper any more, but I do that too. “Creative Non-fiction” is a mag that comes out of the U.S. both on-line and on paper, founded and edited by Lee Gutkind who has been called the father of creative non-fiction, or at least the founder of the name.

Read a quote from writer Tim Bascomb that hit me where it hurts, relating it to my 74,000 word book, which I think is too long but don’t know how to cut:

Aaagh! Not disciplined enough to cut what’s not integrally related!
And here’s a quote from another writer about the importance of editors. I’ll post soon to tell you about my classes, and this is a good description not just of an editor, but of a writing teacher.
When you’re writing long stories, involved stories—stories that feel like a real investment—your editor has to wear so many hats to help get you through. My editors are filters, reporting coaches, therapists, cheerleaders, sounding boards, hecklers, and apparitions in my sleep. They’re also plain old editors. And I need editing. I want to be edited. I think if you aspire in your writing, if you’re striving for something, then you almost always will go too far and need someone to bring you back.
So that’s it, it’s not that I’m undisciplined, it’s that I am striving for something and have gone too far. I like that explanation better.