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Cee | SFF Editor

@ceemtaylor.com

1.2K followers 150 following 680 posts

🌈 Cameron Montague "Cee" Taylor (they/she) 📝 Developmental editor who posts craft content & resources for writers 🧙‍♀️ Author of Fantasy novellas/novels with queer protags 🐈 Occasional poster of cat pics 👉 beacons.ai/ceemtaylor

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Dec 18

I wasn't planning on spending the holidays performing the labor-intensive task of saving and reuploading every craft of writing video I've made on TT to another platform, but here we are.

On the plus side, I'm going to have a much more organized (free!) archive here:

www.patreon.com/ceemtaylor

Fiction Editor & Fantasy Author 🌈

www.patreon.com

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 1d

Me. All day. Everyday. #writesky

A screenshot of a Tumblr post by user doctor-doodleman. The post reads, "I should lock the fuck in. *half an hour passes* I should lock the fuck in. *half an hour passes* I should lock the fuck in. *half an hour passes* I should-"

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 6d

Ah yes, it's "I'm too stubborn to turn the heat on before November" season. My favorite.

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 7d

"I'm going to get my life together this week," said Cee.

"Guess again," said the lurg.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 17d

Did I delete every single adverb out of that manuscript? Of course not! They're a useful tool like any other. But we tend to overuse them, and by doing so, we stop ourselves from learning stronger ways to transmit information to the reader. (3/3)

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 17d

Not bc adverbs are evil and you're Not Allowed To Use Them Ever, but rather, bc if you're able to get rid of the adverb, then you didn't need the adverb.

I deleted *twelve pages* of adverbs out of my first manuscript. One superfluous "softly" won't wreck you, but 3k of them will. (2/3)

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 17d

If you're a relatively new writer, consider doing a find+all for -ly adverbs and getting a bead on how often you use them. (It's probably more than you think, and seeing all of them highlighted in neon is both humbling and helpful.)

Delete as many of them as you can. (1/3)

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 18d

Authors! If your character is examining or studying something, they are poring over it, not pouring over it.

Homonyms are jerks, and this is a common one, so keep an eye out the next time your characters get invested in detail work!

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/p...

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 21d

In every romantic pair, one partner is a cat and the other is a dog. I have no explanation for this. It's just vibes.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 27d

Question for writers:

Are you naturally good at writing dialogue and capturing character voice? If so, are you any of the following:

-A musician
-An actor
-Good at accents/impressions
-Good at learning foreign languages

I have a budding theory about skill crossover and how we 'hear' when writing.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 27d

anytime someone comments on my anonymously posted, emotional-support fanfic to tell me I nailed the characters' voices, an angel gets its wings

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · 29d

I know it's lame af that my favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla chocolate chip, but it's not my fault perfection can't be improved upon.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Sep 23

I really, really want to get behind Skylight, but the fact that I can't upload most of my videos because they're too large -- even the ones that are well within time limits -- is a significant detriment. I'm not gonna go back and make compressed copies of hundreds of craft videos, kwim?

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Sep 5

The problem with getting on top of and responding to all of your emails is that, by the end of the work day, they spawn and generate new emails.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 28

Check out Lacey's post on tension, pacing, and emotional momentum! I give feedback along these lines in most editorial letters I write.

Lacey Braziel | Fiction Editor and Writer @onthepagewithlacey.bsky.social · Aug 28

If you’ve ever been told your story feels slow, your first instinct might be to tighten up your sentences or trim the word count. But here’s the truth: sometimes, what feels like a pacing issue is actually a lack of emotional momentum. 🦋 1/5

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 27

For all the writers who've felt this way over the past months:

A screenshot from Tumblr user novelconcepts which reads: "Hey, man, c'mere. Listen. Get in real close, this is important. You're gonna make stuff again. You're gonna make stuff you're proud of. You're gonna make stuff you're excited to share. You're going to feel that overwhelming drive to create, not just the frantic 'I want to want to' you're stuck in now. You're going to have awesome ideas, and you're going to make them into a reality. You're going to create again. You're still an artist. You're still a writer. You're still home to the same passion you had before. You'll find it again. It's not gone. It's just resting. Let it rest. You're going to make stuff again. I promise."

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Reposted by Cee | SFF Editor

C. L. Polk @clpolk.blacksky.app · Aug 20

I’m the worst most intermittent TikTok/Instagram social media poster ever but I think this video about conlangs in fantasy novels is good. You have to watch @ceemtaylor.com ‘s video to have full context though

vt.tiktok.com/ZSAj2a23X/

TikTok - Make Your Day

vt.tiktok.com

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 20

In my inbox rn I have about five emails from clients who've learned my father passed and wrote to ask if I needed a deadline extension, content warnings about bereavement in their work, or any support they could give.

I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by wonderful authors.

Just. Wow. Thank you. 🫂

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 18

My version of "write drunk, edit sober" is "come up with 10/10 story ideas while going through intense periods of grief, stress, and emotional pain, but be unable to execute any of them until that shit has all been processed"

RIP to future me going through these worldbuilding docs 💀

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 13

You are *killing it!* Best of luck with your capstone -- creative writing under a deadline is no joke, but it sounds like you have the resources you need to nail it.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 13

Sure! But this level of support isn't accessible to most folks learning to write as adults, so I'm trying to encourage new writers to slow down and have patience with themselves and their skills. It sounds like you're working exactly at your pace, and imo that's fantastic.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 13

The trunk isn't permanent! Many writers pull old manuscripts out of the trunk once they've developed the skills to rewrite / revise them. Even if you don't publish this first version of the story, the idea -- and the work you do on it now -- will never be wasted.

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 13

Many writers feel this way about their first passion project (myself included!). For some, the feelings change as years pass and new ideas have time to cook. Others will draft their passion project, set it aside, write other things, then come back to edit / revise it down the line.

Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 12

When we pick up a new instrument, we usually don't expect to go straight from Lesson One to paid gigs.

Give. Yourself. Time.

Find critique partners who vibe with you. Get as much (and give as much!) feedback as you can. Your future catalogue (and cortisol levels) will thank you. (9/9)

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 12

Tldr: Draft and edit your first novel for the sake of writing, not for the sake of publishing. If you want to share it with others, there are ways to do so that don't involve becoming a paid creative professional right off the bat. Or, to give you another adjacent analogy: (8/9)

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Cee | SFF Editor @ceemtaylor.com · Aug 12

While there are some prodigies among us whose first-ever novels made for great debuts, far more brand-new writers publish before they're ready. Anyone who's been paying attention to recent discourse can see what the experience is like for authors in that category (read: pretty rough). (7/9)

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