Are You Ready for Prime-time?

If you’re one of the many writers in our group, how would you answer this question: “When is your work finished?”

If you are a poet, chances are the answer is “Never!” But if your writing is prose, then you know you have to let it go out into the world finished—with the hope that it is.

Four of your BAIPA colleagues have experience and advice on how to complete written projects as professionally as possible. Author of two recently published novels, John Byrne Barry will moderate the panel, which will include developmental editor Mary Claire Blakeman, screenwriter Howard Slater, and grammar diva Arlene Miller.

Here are some of the questions they will address:

How has an editor improved your work?

Who has read a book that has needed more work?

What is developmental editing as compared to copy editing and proofreading?

What are the most common grammatical errors?

What makes dialogue work well … and sins that slow down a story?

How does someone find a good editor?

How much does an editor charge?

John Byrne Barry

John Byrne Barry wrote his first book-length project in fifth grade at Kilmer School in Chicago—a 140-page treatise on dinosaurs, with one page for each dinosaur. He’s been writing, and editing, ever since—magazine and newspaper stories, political comedy, annual reports, and advice columns. He’s published two novels—Bones in the Wash and Wasted. See greennoir.com for more.

Mary Claire Blakeman

Developmental editor Mary Claire Blakeman helped produce Dr. Lani’s No-Nonsense Bone Health Guide, and played a key role in securing its acceptance for a PBS program airing in June, 2016. She’s edited books for traditional publishers and independent authors alike, and also wrote Divorce & Money, a Nolo Press bestseller. Her new website: maryclaireblakeman.com.

Howard Slater

After retiring from a career as a San Francisco firefighter, Howard Slater studied film and received a degree from UC Berkeley. He has written three screenplays and has produced, directed, written, and edited several short films. He has also written short stories and is currently researching background for a novel based on the lives of his great-grandfather and his brother, who were pioneers in the Montana Territory.  HowardSlateronLinkedIn.

Arlene Miller

Arlene Miller, also known as the “Grammar Diva,” is the author of six grammar books and a novel. Her first grammar book, The Best Little Grammar Book Ever, has sold thousands of copies and is being used by schools and colleges. Her newest book, Fifty Shades of Grammar, is a compilation of 50 of her best blog posts. Website bigwords101.com.