tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post217348034691553391..comments2024-03-29T05:53:38.691-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: An Interview with Author and Editor--Ramona LongJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-7063642815716181372015-06-18T15:10:59.735-04:002015-06-18T15:10:59.735-04:00I loved reading the interview of one of my favorit...I loved reading the interview of one of my favorite writer friends! OK, and it was done by another one. But the best part is the red shoes, I must admit.<br />Kaye Georgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05596677617002735674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-22156609194323206772015-06-18T06:02:41.216-04:002015-06-18T06:02:41.216-04:00Thank you, Kara! The reviews were fun, but I can o...Thank you, Kara! The reviews were fun, but I can only do it once a year. Reef Town was another unique contribution to the anthology. Fish have feelings, too!Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-85704098459897753762015-06-17T17:18:58.148-04:002015-06-17T17:18:58.148-04:00Great interview. Ramona, I enjoyed working with yo...Great interview. Ramona, I enjoyed working with you on my short story, Reef Town, in FISH NETS. I appreciated your insightful comments. Thank you! <br /><br />I look forward to reading more of your book reviews next spring. <br />Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-50420909167107451972015-06-17T16:35:22.234-04:002015-06-17T16:35:22.234-04:00The pleasure was all mine, Polly!The pleasure was all mine, Polly!Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-60048062660059918712015-06-17T14:48:26.999-04:002015-06-17T14:48:26.999-04:00Excellent interview, as always, Elaine, and wonder...Excellent interview, as always, Elaine, and wonderful and complete answers from Ramona. I know Ramona caught a major character motivation misstep in my <i>Fish or Cut Bait</i> story that I agreed with immediately. It was a pleasure working with you, Ramona.Polly Iyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05729656119287702191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-1687794246904808272015-06-17T13:49:23.140-04:002015-06-17T13:49:23.140-04:00Elaine, thank you so much for the invitation to be...Elaine, thank you so much for the invitation to be here on Welcome Wednesday! <br /><br />You are a perfect example of someone who really believes in her story, recognizes the uniqueness in it, and wants it to be the best it can be. It's my pleasure to work with you.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-39777287230792562592015-06-17T13:45:46.375-04:002015-06-17T13:45:46.375-04:00KB, you will enjoy Miss Ruffles. Fun story, with d...KB, you will enjoy Miss Ruffles. Fun story, with dogs, cows, cowboys....<br /><br />Nancy, I think by "so culturally up to date" you really mean, "spends too much time on Google!" Brainstorming is fun, and you have the throw out ideas and see what sticks approach that works so well. As to stroking egos, I learned long ago as a writer that "I liked it" is a useless critique. When someone pays a fee, they expect helpful suggestions and solutions, but mostly they want the truth--even if the truth is hard. A diplomatic delivery wrapped around an honest review goes a long way to establishing a working relationship, which I am fortunate to have with you.<br /><br />Paula, your contribution to FISH OR CUT BAIT is the perfect example of write what you know. You took the legislative setting and wrote a tension-filled story with authority. I learned a lot from it.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-72248632642905246442015-06-17T12:35:42.107-04:002015-06-17T12:35:42.107-04:00I'll cut to the chase. Bottom line: Ramona sav...I'll cut to the chase. Bottom line: Ramona saves me time and money. She's the most effective "cost" I've had in the writing business. Thanks for your work, Ramona (and for the interview)!<br />ElaineE. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-52166831297835375442015-06-17T12:13:27.843-04:002015-06-17T12:13:27.843-04:00Ramona, how wonderful to have you at WWK. E.B. Dav...Ramona, how wonderful to have you at WWK. E.B. Davis (great interview, Elaine), Nancy Martin, and others have expressed so beautifully how invaluable your perspective and skills are. As one of the "wrangled" in FISH OR CUT BAIT, I am grateful to you (and Jim Jackson) for all your time and sage advice. You've helped me with stories before FISH OR CUT BAIT and I hope you'll help me in the future. Many thanks.Paula Gail Bensonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08843350597811462936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-65457722725235504352015-06-17T11:51:20.091-04:002015-06-17T11:51:20.091-04:00As much as I would like to take credit for Ramona&...As much as I would like to take credit for Ramona's career, the fact is she's brilliantly insightful about character (and how to make them more vivid, always logical, deeply and realistically emotional) and has a wonderful grasp of how to make humanity come alive through language. She is relentlessly supportive--always wants her clients to succeed--but doesn't pussyfoot around just to stroke my ego. If she tells me I have something wrong, I believe her and fix the problem. I often send my first 50 pages to her, and we brainstorm about story direction and how I can refine my themes before I sit down to outline and draft the rest of the book. I am also grateful that she's so culturally up-to-date, because although I read a lot, I'm not always aware of what's going on in the world and I hate to get things wrong. I send all my work to her before I submit to my agent or editors. She's my safety net! ...Nancy MartinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-5458924181532450752015-06-17T11:44:04.228-04:002015-06-17T11:44:04.228-04:00Great questions, great interview Ramona and EB.
I ...Great questions, great interview Ramona and EB.<br />I too had a story in Fish Tales, The Critique Group. It was nice working with you.<br />PatgPatghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01046665022709722606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-44221119962474656692015-06-17T11:28:56.368-04:002015-06-17T11:28:56.368-04:00Really fine interview. Good Questions, good answer...Really fine interview. Good Questions, good answers. You can bet I am going to suggest reading it to a few of my friends.<br />I love the cover of Nancy's book. KB Ingleehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06089951663907060127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-57183309427195376542015-06-17T11:22:00.504-04:002015-06-17T11:22:00.504-04:00Gloria, FISH TALES seems so long ago! Both wonderf...Gloria, FISH TALES seems so long ago! Both wonderful stories and you were a joy to work with on both.<br /><br />Shari, I love the VGR. It is my new favorite thing because so many manuscripts lack a clear one; once you find the sleuth's VGR, so much falls into place about his/her motivation. And I am the one to thank you all, for hosting me here today!<br /><br />Grace, I appreciate the shout out for the book reviews. That was such fun, and I plan to do it again next spring, so I need to keep reading! The Guppies and Sisters in Crime do a great job of providing workshops and online classes for members. I'm teaching two this summer.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-90715877985356017612015-06-17T11:05:05.766-04:002015-06-17T11:05:05.766-04:00I've learned so much from your classes and blo...I've learned so much from your classes and blog, and now from your interview. And I loved the reviews of your favorite books (40, I believe) that you recently posted. Thank you for so generously sharing information with us.Grace Toppinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10291304815273486038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-26915706272899615012015-06-17T10:13:08.894-04:002015-06-17T10:13:08.894-04:00Ramona, thank you for stopping by WWK and thank yo...Ramona, thank you for stopping by WWK and thank you for your Top Five Guidelines. The VGR! Yes!Shari Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16425493627354028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-60238767136101907952015-06-17T09:43:00.031-04:002015-06-17T09:43:00.031-04:00Ramona, you edited my short story for the first Gu...Ramona, you edited my short story for the first Guppy anthology FISH TALES - The Professor's Books and made it ever so much better. And then for FISH NETS you edited The Lure of the Rainbow, and again I was pleased with your editing. Thank you.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-7062354095679635162015-06-17T08:55:31.879-04:002015-06-17T08:55:31.879-04:00KM, I am a writer, too, so I hear your pain. I als...KM, I am a writer, too, so I hear your pain. I also know I have annoyed authors with requests for documentation or clarification. I can't speak for anyone else, but the fear is that the story will contain an error and a reader will catch it and be pulled out of the story--as I am sure you know. <br /><br />Your comment about editors not living in the world you write about is interesting. I am currently reading a manuscript set in Biblical times, a departure for me, with a repeat author who is a Biblical scholar, so I am trust him on the facts and historical events. But there are some dialogue lines that seem modern, so I questioned the usage. I wonder if the author will be annoyed? <br /><br />In the end, the goal is to work together to create the strongest story possible--as I'm sure you know, again.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-37105504318101289762015-06-17T08:35:44.004-04:002015-06-17T08:35:44.004-04:00Thank you all at WWK for inviting me here today. E...Thank you all at WWK for inviting me here today. Elaine posed some terrific questions, and as you can see, I didn't go with quick answers.<br /><br />Jim, you were an excellent story wrangler. I think we burned up the email tracks a few times in getting Fish or Cut Bait in submission-ready shape. You were a great help. <br /><br />Warren, are you talking about my favorite red-haired sheriff? Cut and paste is great, but it can trip you up, especially when you've revised and revised and you know what the story is *supposed* to say.<br /><br />Yes, Edith, both Nancy Martin and Hank Ryan have shared their WIPs for my "gentle" and (not-so-gentle) editorial review. I pretty much owe my career to Nancy, whose magic words "You know, you should think about doing this professionally" set me on my path to professional editing. I loved your Quaker midwife manuscript and see a rosy future for it.Ramonahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00627775403015684868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-75464783246097132772015-06-17T08:10:38.120-04:002015-06-17T08:10:38.120-04:00I appreciate hearing from an editor. I've work...I appreciate hearing from an editor. I've worked with a few, some very helpful and some who have made me spend an inordinate amount of time "documenting" things that I know to be true. It can take several weeks of turn-around time when I have to write to friends who are incarcerated to get an inmate's point of view. Editors tend to live in a very different world than the one I often write about, and it can be hard to keep the vocabulary and express the mindset of some of the characters when an editor wants everything to be "correct." <br /><br />That said, I've had a few who totally see what I'm trying to do. It's a true pleasure to work with them. My work is vastly improved by the touch of a good editor. KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-54361408223525722042015-06-17T08:05:25.683-04:002015-06-17T08:05:25.683-04:00What a fabulous interview, Ramona and EB! Ramona h...What a fabulous interview, Ramona and EB! Ramona has edited my work both short and long, and vastly improved it. I can't wait until I see what she does with the next book I send her.<br /><br />Do those covers mean you edit Nancy and Hank, Ramona?Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-61407805195415049802015-06-17T07:47:41.108-04:002015-06-17T07:47:41.108-04:00Hi Ramona, Thanks for stopping by WWK. I've ...Hi Ramona, Thanks for stopping by WWK. I've been a fan ever since you, quite gently, pointed out in a short story that my character suddenly jumped from one time, location and activity to a different time, place and action. I had taken a paragraph out, revised it and forgotten to put the revised version back in. Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-70768176889803743842015-06-17T04:46:32.394-04:002015-06-17T04:46:32.394-04:00As the “story wrangler” for Fish or Cut Bait, I ca...As the “story wrangler” for Fish or Cut Bait, I can say that all twenty-two authors appreciated Ramona’s work on their stories. And believe me, twenty-two Guppies rarely agree on anything.<br /><br />~ JimJim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.com