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Character Names
Writing a story gives you the freedom to create wonderful, imaginative characters – but have you thought about character names? Character names might need to reflect the setting of your novel. For example, a novel set in Victorian London will have different names from a novel set in contemporary New…
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Writing Flashback Scenes
Writing flashback scenes can be tricky – particularly when a novel has been written in the past tense. In this article, I outline my three top tips for ensuring that your flashback scenes work, and that your readers don’t get lost along the way. Past Tense in a Novel Many…
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Five Common Writing Mistakes
Being able to write well is a gift – but it’s not without its challenges. It doesn’t matter how good your writing is, there are always things that you will miss, and below I have listed the five common writing mistakes that I see most frequently. A copyeditor will help…
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Balancing Showing vs Telling in Writing
Many (many!) new writers are confused about balancing showing vs telling. As a writer, you strive to create immersive and engaging stories that captivate readers from beginning to end. One essential skill to master is finding the right balance between showing and telling. In this blog post, we will explore…
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Writing Compelling Dialogue
Writing compelling dialogue will elevate your novel from good to superb. Dialogue is one of the cornerstones of a novel – writing it well will gift your reader with an immersive experience. Dialogue can add depth to your characters, giving them individuality and personality. But many authors find it hard…
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Writing Sex Scenes in Fiction
Let’s talk about sex! Writing sex scenes in fiction can be daunting – but they should be treated just the same as any other scene, and deserve the same level of careful attention. Are sex scenes necessary in your novel? Clearly, not all novels contain sex scenes. Some genres expect…
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What to do while your manuscript is being edited
(Part two – Self Publishing) Marketing, ISBNs, Blurbs, Front Matter What self-publishing tasks can you be getting on with while your manuscript is being edited? Once you’ve handed your manuscript to a copy/line editor, it’s really important that you don’t touch it again until the manuscript is returned back to…
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What to do while your manuscript is being edited
(Part one – Traditional Publishing) Researching Agents, Book Summaries, and Marketing What should you do while your manuscript is being edited? Once you’ve handed your manuscript to a copy/line editor, it’s really important that you don’t touch it again until the manuscript is returned back to you. Having multiple versions…
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How to Find a Trustworthy Book Editor
How to find a trustworthy book editor is a question I see repeatedly on social media. Finding an editor you can trust shouldn’t be difficult, but I know a lot of authors are concerned about being scammed. They are worried that an editor is going to take their money and…
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I’ve written a book – what do I do now?
I’ve written a book – what do I do now? You’ve written your novel (congratulations!), and are wondering about the next steps. Is it ready for proofreading? Does it need to be edited? Should you self-publish? Should you approach a publisher? Actually, how do you approach a publisher? How many…
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What is a SAMPLE EDIT?
When a new author first contacts me, pretty much the first thing I offer them is a SAMPLE EDIT. But what is a sample edit, and why is it necessary? Does it cost money? Will it benefit the author? What is a SAMPLE EDIT? Most copy/line editors will offer a…
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How to Sell a Novel
You’ve finished your manuscript, had it edited, and now you are trying to work out how to sell a novel. Choosing to self-publish brings freedom – you (the author) are in control of every single aspect of your book, from deadlines and writing style to cover design, sales and marketing.…
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How to Self-Edit a Novel
There are a few things an author can do to self-edit a novel and tighten up a manuscript, even if they are intending to use an editor. It may well reduce the time an editor needs to spend on a manuscript (which, in turn, may reduce the fee), but, more…
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MS Word Track Changes Webinar
I’ve produced this MS Word Track Changes Webinar to help authors demystify the editing process. I’m aware that many authors will not have come across MS Word Track Changes. Before I became an editor, I considered myself to be an expert in MS Word, but I had never used the…
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Kind Fiction Editing – part 1: What is it?
What is Kind Fiction Editing? It’s kind to you (the author), but tough on your manuscript! It’s possible to edit a manuscript and provide detailed, honest, sensible feedback in a kind and supportive way. Does kind editing mean going easy on your manuscript? Absolutely not! Writing a book can be…
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Kind Fiction Editing – part 2: Editing adapted to suit you.
I believe that editing can be kind as well as honest, and in this second blog about Kinder Fiction Editing, I explain how I have adapted my editing process to suit the differing needs of the authors I work with. Also see part one of Kind Fiction Editing – Is…
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Kind Fiction Editing – part 3: Is my writing good enough?
Are you worried about handing over your manuscript? Do you think your writing might not be good enough? Are you concerned that an editor will judge you and your writing? Are you wondering, “Is my writing good enough?” In this final part of a three-part series of blog posts about…
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Reducing Repetition and Redundancy in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 4 How to identify and remove repetition and redundancy in your fiction writing. You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do these phrases actually mean? What constitutes ‘tight writing’?…
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How to Stop Over-Describing in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 3 Newer authors often fall into the trap of over-describing, but how do you avoid over-describing (and generally overwriting) in novels? You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do…
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Get Rid of Then, Before and While in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 2 How to avoid OVERWRITING in fiction novels by looking at excessive timeline nudges. You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do these phrases actually mean? What constitutes ‘tight…
