All photos copyright Sarah Goodman, unless specified.

photo: "Sarah G." copyright by Miriam Goodman

About Good Manuscript

I won’t say it. Alright, I’ll say it: A good manuscript is hard to find.

In 20 years in publishing, I’ve seen manuscripts try to do their job, fall down, and try again. I’ve produced, generated, tweaked, and fixed—from finding typos in medical journals, to writing prize-winning poems, to managing large curriculum programs. I’ve distilled from all of it, an approach.

Be considerate of readers.

I look first at the job, next at the intended readers, and finally, at the letterforms and sounds attempting to be the bridge—the words.

Words make good bridges, but they are made of an infinitely flexible and slippery material, like water, a medium called meaning. And just like water-power, words can hurt or heal, freeze, boil, quench, refresh, and make us grow.

That’s why I love being a writer and an editor. I provide a missing link.  For all the power words have, nobody knows the actual definition of the word  word. All the definitions say “generally” or “usually.” Is a word a morpheme? Sometimes.

To my mom, word the interjection, as in “Word up!” has no meaning. Yet “word” is defined today, by at least 1755 users of The Urban Dictionary as "a greeting, ‘hey what's up.’”A word's life depends on how, when, and  to whom you use it. It depends on context. It depends on feedback.

So, if you’re reading this, you’ve just shaped my manuscript. Thank you. I’d like to know what you think. Tell me what you want   here—or anywhere. I’m happiest writing with a new purpose, and with a new reader in mind. You!