Find a buddy

[Ed]

I would love to find people with which to swap services. I spent several years as a newspaper report/editor and book reviewer (talk about irony) so I have background in the technical (proofreading, grammar, editing) as well as a love of reading (plot, character development, story flow). I also love to write. It would be great to find some people that share that interest and with whom I could trade services.

The buddy systems sounds good and it works. I love to write but sometimes life gets in the way and my writing gets put aside. If someone had my back I would be more apt to deliver and I can certainly be a nag/supportive if you need someone to push you. Plus having a "buddy" makes it easier as you become familiar with the each others style and preferences. I love most genres while and I tend to write in a few. I did a series of Gay short stories a few years ago and am currently working on a Celtic mythology trilogy:

The story is about Faris, a reluctant hero, forced to confront his own fears if he is to save a world trapped in a time before his existence, from destruction and stop an ancient prophecy. The story includes elements of Celtic mythology and religious confrontation.

If this interest you, please give me a shout.

All the best
-Ed

[Elise]

Ed wrote: "I would love to find people with which to swap services. I spent several years as a newspaper report/editor and book reviewer (talk about irony) so I have background in the technical (proofreading,..."
I'm not sure whether we'd be good buddies, but your story intrigues me. I love ancient prophecies and exploring religious beliefs. Your story sounds like a hero's journey, which I'm also a fan of.

I'm primarily a traditional mystery writer, and my first book is a realistic Christian mystery. Realistic because it doesn't conform to CBA standards; rather, it is populated with characters who aren't perfect or perfectly sweet and struggle with issues of belief.

I'm currently working on the revision of the sequel and will be ready in about a month to get feedback from beta readers.

I've downloaded samples of your published books to get an idea of your writing style. Feel free to download samples of mine. Get back to me if you're interested in working together.

[Ed]

Elise wrote: "Ed wrote: "I would love to find people with which to swap services. I spent several years as a newspaper report/editor and book reviewer (talk about irony) so I have background in the technical (pr..."

Hi Elise. I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. I just downloaded samples of your work to get a feel for your style as well. I am on vacation this upcoming week so I can read your work and get back to you to see if you are interested in trading services Then we can figure out the details if we decide to move forward. All the best.

[Elise]

Thanks for the response, Ed. I'll be waiting to hear from you.

[Julia]

Hey! Okay, I'll bite - I've gone through most of the beta/edit "thang" on two novels - finishing word cuts before sending second novel out for final beta read. Then I'll do the agent query thing, and I'd love a "buddy" to share the stress of it all with. I'm an MD / EdM, and I left medicine because of some medical issues, but I love writing. My stories are about a Demi-Angel (half-angel) and his unacknowledged son, and the covert Welsh intelligence agency that the Demi-Angel runs. Let me know if anyone's interested! I can also be reached at my FB page (where I desperately need likes...) https://www.facebook.com/juliachoover, or by email at julia.hoover1@yahoo.com.

Looking forward to it,
Julie (what my friends call me)

[Ed]

Elise wrote: "Thanks for the response, Ed. I'll be waiting to hear from you."

Hi Elise, I had a chance to read some samples of your writing and I must say I was pulled in. I've never been a reader of murder mysteries but now I want to know what happens to Lacy and with Faith. You're writing is very fluid and tight -- something I struggle with. I like how you hang the scenes and drop in descriptions and characters' thoughts. I would very much enjoy reading your work and quite frankly learning a few things. Let me know how you would like to proceed. My email is edwardhilow@gmail.com if you would rather correspond directly. Looking forward to hearing from you
Ed

[Robbie]

The idea of a "writing buddy" has appealed to me for sometime now. I've been editing for six months on a novel I wrote in three months. I feel I need some input. I have tried a critique site, but it takes weeks critiquing others' writing to earn the points to make my own submission. At this rate, I'll be months or another year before I'm ready to submit it to an editor for a final "go-over." Most consider my novel sci-fi; I prefer to think of it as mystery and suspense. It begins when strong solar flares start striking earth versus passing by creating a beautiful, multi-colored sky. Solar flares are extremely dangerous if they actually strike earth. The novel is about the problems that arise after earth is struck repeatedly. If anyone is interested in working with me, I'd love to hear from you. :)

[David]

Hi Robbie. I've been a beta reader twice for a successful Amazon author, which in part got me into writing. I am also intrigued by the concept of a writing buddy. I'm new at writing, and published my first novel on Amazon, as an Ebook, just ten days ago, I'm working on part 2. I had mostly family and friends as beta readers. While I very much appreciated their comments, most were in the nature of "nice job", or "I didn't know you could write." What I needed was feedback on whether things were working the way I'd hoped, like: was the pacing good, did the science stuff make sense, was I too wordy? Fortunately, I did get that kind of feedback from a couple of people and I think it helped a lot. When I read your comment about six months of editing versus three months of writing I felt empathy. I suspect I had a similar ratio of edit time to writing. I also smiled at the final "go-over" comment. I don't mean to be condescending, but absolutely every time I reread any part of my novel, I found something I could revise. I don't think there will ever be a "final" go-over for me. I used revised rather than improved for a reason. I kept changing passages, telling myself the new version was somehow more polished. I finally decided that "more polished" wasn't the goal I should strive for. The goal should be: will the story be better. So, eventually I stopped editing and published.

By the way, my novel is Disturbance: The Vetting, by David P. Cantrell if you want to check it out on Amazon. It too is a "mysterious" sci-fi.

Let me know if you'd like to buddy-up. davecantrell48@hotmail.com