I’m a big fan of beta readers, and especially of MY beta readers. This is the method I used to brief my beta team for amazing results on my latest book project.
Writing and Editing tips
These articles for writers and editors help you manage your workflow, stay motivated, understand possibilities, and find solutions to common problems.
Writers, look after your health and your BACK!
Hello writer! Yes, I’m talking to you, slouching in that squishy armchair in the dimly-lit room with a laptop balanced on your knee.
I’ve been writing and/or editing for a living for more than 20 years, and I have made every hideous mistake a writer can make in protecting their health.
On a recent run of insane deadlines, 12 hours per day in front of the computer for weeks on end, I decided to actually plan it differently to try to protect my health. These were the results…
Forget the myths, and WRITE!
When I try to set my writing goals for the months ahead, I find a number of popular myths about writing circling around me and nipping at my heels again.
Maybe they’ve disrupted your dreams too. Join me in a debunking!
The brutal truth about finding beta readers
Every time I post about beta readers and how wonderful and essential they are, I get more requests for how to find some.
People want quick answers. Their manuscript is ready to be critiqued NOW. And as many of us know, the best betas can be hard to find.
This brings me to the brutal truth about beta readers…
Proofreading our own work: Overcoming ‘autocorrect’
I’m always saying how hard it is to proofread our own writing. But there are those situations where we need to do it. How can we increase our accuracy?
In WQ, the magazine of the Queensland Writers Centre, I read an intriguing article about the brain science behind this thorny problem… and some possible solutions!
I tracked down Alison Quigley, author of the article, and she has generously agreed to share it here on my blog…
How to make the most of a writers festival or conference
Writers festivals and conferences are great places for us to get inspiration and education, and make connections with writers and other people who can help us in our projects.
This year, I got much more out of my local writers festival than I have in the past. I’ve made a list of the things I did differently, so that it might be useful for you, too.
Writing a book? Go for it.
Are you writing a book? Wishing you could write a book? Go for it.
Live dangerously. Use an adverb.
Do you ever feel intimidated by writing advice, and pushed in a direction you don’t really want to go? Time to rebel.
The subject of today’s literary disobedience is the Adverb. I’d like to reclaim this despised part of speech, on behalf of sane writers everywhere.
The internet is awash with Adverb Hate. And the worst part of it is the way it confuses some writers, who end up thinking they are never allowed to use an adverb anywhere ever again.
Tools I use for Writing, Publishing & Blogging
I often get questions about what I’m using for different phases of writing, publishing and blogging.
I’ve seen other bloggers post a list of their favourite tools and I’ve found them really handy. I think, “Ooh, what are they using for such-and-such??” and voila! there is the answer. 🙂
So [drumroll….] here is my list. Hope you find some useful ideas in it. 🙂
The other reason book editors are SO expensive
I’m an editor, but also a writer. This is the second in my series on why book editing costs so much!
