How do you know when your book is ready to send to an editor? I often receive very raw drafts from writers asking for a…
Smooth transitions can help your story flow
Do you feel you need to account for every moment and movement in a scene? I’ve found a lot of new writers do. But look at this extract from Emily Bitto’s beautiful novel ‘The Strays’.
Head hopping can break the spell
I’ve just finished reading a book in which about 90% of the story was from the point of view of the central character, Jo, (limited…
Two-minute tip: check your spell check settings
spell check is a handy but fickle friend – useful but not to be totally relied upon, especially if the settings are not quite right.
Journey of a self-published book
Every book has a different journey from idea to shelf, but I’m sure there are some commonalities. I wonder if some of this resonates with you?
Two hot tips for picking up typos in your own work
I recently published a post with an embarrassing error: who’s instead of whose. How did I let this happen and how can I help you avoid doing the same?
You’ve written your first draft. Now what?
Woo hoo! You did it! The first thing to do is feel super smug and a wee bit proud (or should that be the other…
Editors are not arbiters of taste
I have to be aware of my tastes and make sure I don’t impose them on the writers I work with.
Beware the dangling modifier
As an editor, I see dangling modifiers everywhere.
If you don’t know what that means, let’s break it down so you can get maximum word-nerd cred.
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