The weather: cliché or clever? Here’s some hints about deciding what to do with meteorological conditions in your fiction writing.
Category Archives: About writing
How much should I write?
One of the most frequently asked questions is: how long should my book be? This week, we’ll look at length (keep the jokes to yourself!).
My self-publishing journey: part one
This is going to be a little different from my normal blog posts. An occasional series of blogs, charting my journey to self-publishing. This isn’t my first self-publishing adventure: I first published in 2016. But now, having done lots of editorial training, I’m going back and re-releasing my first book.
What is creative non-fiction?
Anything made up is fiction. Anything with facts is non-fiction. So what exactly is creative non-fiction and why does it need editing in the same ways as fiction?
Doing it proper: using capitals properly for people
We all know that names need capital letters. My name is Nick. See, there’s the capital ‘N’. I’m so important that I get a capital letter at the beginning of my name. That’s an easy example but it’s not always straightforward.
Genre: Does it matter?
Genre is a lovely way for your local bookshop, library or internet retailer to classify and sort books. But as a writer, does genre really matter? Does worrying about genre mean you will pigeonhole yourself?
Can you have the perfect manuscript?
Is getting your manuscript perfect stopping you from moving forwards with it? Is a fear of it “not being right” preventing you from submitting to agents and publishers or even self-publishing?
Here’s why the dream of “perfection” might be holding you back and why good enough, is good enough.
Saying too much
Writers, whether experienced or new, frequently come across this problem. It’s easily done, I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of doing it. What is it? Overwriting. In this post, we’ll take a look at how to identify and remove instances of overwriting from your manuscript.
Suddenly, the editor deleted my words
A client recently asked me if I ever have an opinion on certain words. I don’t. Words are there to communicate a message – to tell a story. I do not sit with a dictionary ticking off the words I love and scratching out the words I hate.
Except one.
Commas and adjectives
When do you need to use a comma when listing adjectives and why do you see no comma between some adjectives?
