Stephanie's Studio

G is for Giant Self A while back, I had a very unusual job for me, Manager of Art Security Guards. I only held the position briefly, but man, did I learn a lot in that short period of time. Where I learned the most was in its excellent training program, with a gifted teacher, I must say. This teacher swiftly transformed my work personality from quiet and laid back, by inviting me to step into my Giant Self. What if you’re handed a back pack and then there is a phone call that the bag is actually holding explosives? What would you do immediately, he’d pry. What would you do? What if someone is yielding a knife and threatening the crowd of people that have gathered? Time is of the essence. What would you do, he asked again? Tell us right now! …the questions and scenarios went on and on, all day. "Giant Self" by Stephanie Bird, 2016 What is your Giant Self? It’s that person larger than your usual self that lives inside of you. In the cloak of your Gi...

Today you get the double whammy. It is the first day of the A to Z Challenge and the day for our monthly IWSG (Insecure Writer's Support Group) post. My focus is on editorial opinions. On and off I work with editors. Most often they are from within the publishing house publishing my books. Sometimes, I work with freelance editors. My last editor and I worked together on and off for about 9 years. With many projects on my plate (grants, submissions, and so forth) I decided four eyes would be better than my two subjective ones. I set about looking for a new editor. I'd found my last editor on one of the now defunct online freelancer boards. I looked at Reedsy.com, urged on by unsolicited emails I've been receiving from this new startup. Then thought oDesk would be more suitable for my needs. I write about all this for IWSG Wednesday because hiring an editor means you have to release some of your insecurities. It forces you to show your work to strangers and receive o...