All photos copyright Sarah Goodman, unless specified.

photo: "Sarah G." copyright by Miriam Goodman

About Good Manuscript

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 medical journals to prize-winning poems, to large curriculum programs. One approach consistently helps:

Be considerate of readers.

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, drown, or make us grow.

That’s why its important to think about what they are trying to do, and who for. As a writer and editor, I use words to link readers with whatever lies behind or beyond the words. 

For all the power words have, words are wild and need wranglers to make them do an actual job.

Don't think words are wild? Try this: Define word. Nobody knows the actual definition of word. All the definitions say “generally” or “usually.” Is a word a morpheme? "Sometimes."

To my mom, the interjection, “Word!” 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, I’d like to know what you think. Tell me what you want words to do for you. I’m happiest writing with a new purpose, and with a new reader in mind. You!