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wordforest dispatches

I've been self-publishing since 2011 while working full time and doing a fair amount of babysitting for my granddaughters. I've often been too hard on myself, expected too much, wanted to be better than I am. Lately I'm focusing more on enjoying the process. The sheer joy of creating an arresting, lyrical piece of writing is something to be savored wherever it leads.

If you're serious about writing in whatever form or genre you choose, join a critique group of astute writers who are honest but kind. If you can't find one through a local club, or through Facebook or another social media platform, create one. If you do, your writing will soar, and you will make great friends to share a rewarding, creative journey with you.

I'm writing a novel that takes place on a fictional San Francisco lane. I'm experimenting with creating images using AI. So far I haven't come up with anything that could be used as a book cover, but the images I create will help a cover designer come up with what I need. You might want to try using AI too. So far, I've just used NightCafe.

Look no further than Gregor at Zite Design. He's smart, kind, personable, efficient, affordable and impressively knowledgeable. He helped me transition this site from Squarespace, taking care of details that perplexed and frustrated me. I have complete confidence in him. I think you can tell I recommend him highly. He'll give you as much or as little help as you need. Contact him at designzite@gmail.com.

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services

When I'm not writing, publishing, telling stories or hanging out with family, I do freelance copyediting for book-length manuscripts, both fiction and nonfiction, and occasionally for short stories.Basically, I take a look at mechanics (fixing punctuation, spelling, capitalization, etc.) and language (correcting grammar and improving sentences that are a bit muddy). This step is done when the author is satisfied with the story's arc and has a manuscript ready to polish. This typically will not be an early draft.Copyediting is not the last editorial step. That's proofreading, which I do not do. Proofreading is the final editorial step done to catch any errors that slid by in prior reviews, as well as new errors that may have been introduced during the last round of revisions or during the interior design and layout phase.Reach me via the email link below if you want to learn more about working with me.

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About Wordforest

Once upon a time, I wrote a memoir. It was about my childhood, which was upended when my mother committed suicide, an act that set off a series of events that ensured my early years would never be normal.I felt called to write the book, but put off writing it for many years. I was gratified to finally complete the manuscript and thrilled when a small press was eager to publish it. Then, while I was reviewing the contract, that little press went out of business. I reached out again, and again, and again until another little press wanted to publish my story. I signed a contract, told my family and all my friends. Then I waited. And waited. And waited. Four years later, with no publication date in sight, I took back the rights to my book and had a decision to make:Should I go through the long process of finding another publisher, or should I publish the book myself? I opted for the latter. Thus WORDforest, a plucky little press, was born. That was 2011.Since then, with the help of several creative people, including my sister Kathy, a marveously talented designer, I’ve published that memoir and a sequel to it, two collections of flash fiction, an anthology on sisterhood, a novel, and an illustrated collection of original and traditional folktales. I'm now at work on a second novel and feel like this is just the beginning of rewarding projects to come.