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.
Category Archives: Reading
Book review: United Queerdom
Part memoir, part queer history book and part instruction manual, Dan Glass’s United Queerdom brilliant explains the struggle.
Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2021
I’ve blogged before about some of the essential tools of the trade. And this is another vital book for any writer, editor or anybody else who regularly works with words.
Book review: Lie With Me
“He taps on his cigarette to make the ashes fall, but he hasn’t smoked it enough. It’s a gesture intended to convey composure, but it only makes him appear more vulnerable.”
A day in the life
As a child, I used to love reading about the day in the life of different professions. Those books were great and gave you a real insight, albeit in a child friendly way, about those professions.
Don’t cause a distraction
Every time I walk into a branch of a, well-known, discount chain, I am distracted by the massive sign they have above one of the aisles. It tells me that I can buy “DVD’s” there.
For the love of books
Authors have a great skill in crafting worlds that we, as readers, slip into so easily. We invest in the characters: feel their emotions, want the best for them.
So why then, did I become an editor and not a writer?
Telling tall tales
This is something that gets me each time I come across it. I don’t know why, but I must look it up each time I come across this in a manuscript.
They’re six foot. No, they’re six-feet. Or are they six foot tall? Six-foot-tall?
A fine line: between style and correctness
My job is frequently portrayed as being about pedantry. The correct use of the comma, the correct use of subject, verb agreement, the correct spellings.
But that’s not always the case.
Sensitivity readers: do you need one?
What is a “sensitivity reader” and how do you know if you need one? Do they provide a function outside of editing? What makes a sensitivity reader different from a beta reader?
