T.M. Shine says:
March 1, 2010 at 10:09 am
The amazing thing about Tom Shroder is he can cut to the heart of a complicated story with one quick reading. Like most writers, I can spend days mulling over a muddy plotline but Shroder can instantly see what I’m going for and, of course, nonchalantly mention nine ways to make it better.
There’s a certain creative camaraderie that develops when you work with Shroder. I like to compare the experience to a low-rent Lennon/McCartney collaboration. Writing is a lonely deal but with Shroder it’s as if all of the sudden you have a partner. You bring him what you’ve got and maybe he throws out a verse, adds a chord change, or an extra beat on the intro and all the sudden it’s exactly what you envisioned the second you picked up the guitar. But make no mistake, finding this this kind of writing partner is rare. I’ve written for dozens of publications for over 20 years and plenty of people want to give you input and can adequately edit your words but ask yourself three things. 1. Do you want them to? 2. Do you trust them? 3. Are they good enough? Are they the best?
After a lifetime of searching, I can truly say Shroder is the best.
Note: Tom, please edit the above before posting. Maybe add a chord change.
– T.M. Shine
M. Gruss says:In the daily newspaper business, too many editors worry only about tomorrow.
That’s why I sent my work to Tom. I needed help with the big picture and Tom’s critique did just that. My experience with Story Surgeons has made me a stronger writer and reporter.
Tom pinpointed the areas in my clips that needed greater focus and he explained exactly how to make my stories better. He challenged me to think harder about the logic behind every line. All of this was blended with just the right amount of encouragement to soothe a writer’s fragile ego.
Without a doubt, I plan to work with Tom again.
Michael Mcgrath says:I travel a great deal and I have always send stories of my experiences back to my children. They have often suggested that I write about my adventures and while I have no desire to do so when I came across Tom’s site I was curious and took the opportunity to obtain an objective view of my writings.
I feel I received much more than I expected. Tom’s comments shed a light on certain things, certain prejudices, even beliefs of my own, which I had taken for granted and gave me a lot to think about.
(It also helped me improve certain repetitions of words and phrases!).
I certainly learned a great deal from all of this and I hope to return and take advantage of his assistance and insights in the future.
Work with him – you will be surprised and pleased!