Why there's no such thing as a heavenly first draft
On the myth of muses & helping writers find their voice with Lisa Rose
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” ~Lao Tzu
The day I finished the first draft of my book, it felt like I could take on the world. I shared my manuscript with a former client, my neighbor, friends, and siblings. I soaked up their praise, made revisions according to their comments, and jotted on my to-do list, “Find an editor.”
Except I never made it that far. Because on a random July morning during a visit to the park, a curly-haired little girl ran up to me and introduced herself—jumpstarting a friendship with her mom that would take my writing to the next level.
That’s why for today’s issue of The Write-Life Balance, I’m sitting down with
of The Write Rose to discuss:The #1 reason she originally turned down my book (and what every prospective editor needs to tell you upfront)
The magic of line editing, or how you can change the whole meaning of a sentence by swapping out a single word
Why drafting a book is like cutting a slab of rock from a mountain (vs. editing, which is the shaping and honing of stone to transform it into a statue).
On the Myth of Muses & Helping Writers Find Their Voice with Lisa Rose
WRITE 👩🏽💻 (14:16)
As an editor, Lisa plays an active role in the writing process—meaning she needs to show her clients she can communicate effectively through her emails and in-line comments! Whenever Lisa provides feedback, she strives to be somewhere in the middle between gentle and harsh—setting high expectations for the writer to meet, but delivering them in a way that empowers the writer.
“This is your internal world that you’ve often spent years on…[so] you definitely want to find an editor that is going to treat you the way you want to be treated, but also understand and have empathy for that process and respect for your book baby.”
LIFE 🛟 (1:10)
Besides helping other writers find their voice and hone their craft, Lisa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her partner, a very outgoing three and a half-year-old, and kitten. She squeezes in her own writing when she can, with credits on Grim & Gilded, The Dark Sire, Shacklebound Horror Anthology, and The Other Stories Podcast.
BALANCE 🧘🏻♀️ (1:49)
When discussing her prioritization of mental health, Lisa described herself as a cycle-breaker. It’s another conversation for another day, but I thought it was an interesting way to describe anyone who comes from a long history of abuse and addiction, or yearns to break free from familial expectations.
PARTING ADVICE (33:34)
The biggest mistake Lisa sees is people clinging to this idea of a writer’s ability to write a heavenly first draft on the first try. She points out that most of your favorite books have been rewritten and edited multiple times before you see them on the shelves of a Barnes and Noble display window—and even then, there are mistakes and typos! So:
“Don’t rush the process. Let your story sit there and breath and work and rework, and in the long run, it will pay off. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to your story, to spend some time making your story available to other people.”
READING 📚
For work:
A research paper on ride-sharing
Budget documentation for a county in California
Just finished line editing the isekai novella The Obsessed Hero & Villainous Family's Daughter Volume II
For fun:
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb
For parenting and self-growth:
The Whole Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson on audiobook
STREAMING ⏯
The Night Stalker: A Hunt for a Serial Killer, and then Kim's Convenience on Netflix to wash away the creepies before bed (Apparently Lisa and I are both on the Simu Liu train, since I just finished his memoir!)
COOKING 👩🏽🍳
This Protein Oreo cheesecake dessert (OMG, something sweet my husband can actually eat!) and a spicy garlic eggplant recipe.
To learn more about working with Lisa, you can:
Visit her website
Follow her on Instagram
Message her directly on my brand spanking new Slack community. If you’re currently working on a book, email or comment for an invite!
Hope you enjoyed this episode,
Sophia :)
P.S. Ever considered quitting your job to take a creative sabbatical? Make sure to check out my interview with B2B marketing consultant and romance novelist Alyssa Jarrett.
