I have recently received “The Last Friend” back from my editor. After twenty-one drafts, I rolled my eyes at a comment. I didn’t roll my eyes in a “oh, they have no idea” kind of way, but in a “oh, why didn’t I catch this and how do I fix it?”

The reason I send my stories out to be read by others and then to an editor before I submit something to try to have it published is to find out what I didn’t catch. Some writers do not like using editors. Maybe they don’t need them. Perhaps they have a mental copy of Strunk and White in their minds—or maybe they are too sensitive to possible criticism. All I know is that I want to produce quality stories. The slush piles in publishing houses are filled with submissions from the highly talented and professional to the guy who thought writing was easy. The number one way to stand out is to make the story’s quality stand out. That means trusting your editor.

So, back to work on “The Last Friend” I go. The problem is minor, but should be interesting to see how I fix it.

Thank you for reading. Please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates on the blogs, novels and short stories that I write.