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Rant: I thought 'write what you know' was the worst advice until my story about a tax audit got picked for an anthology.
My professor said to just describe the sheer panic of finding a misplaced decimal point, and that specific detail is what the editor said made it feel real.
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matthew_wilson224mo ago
Oh man, that tracks... I once wrote about just the sound of a forklift backing up and got the same note.
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cameron7244mo ago
Ugh, I just started describing the smell of wet pavement instead.
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dixon.willow2mo ago
Ha! Yes, I wrote a scene about losing my keys before a job interview and the editor said the same thing. It's crazy how the most specific panic is what makes it click.
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