It’s late. You’re reading. You’ll treat youself to the next chapter if… (Poll)

This poll was surprisingly tricky to construct; we all read at different speeds and perhaps our format choice affects our answer… So please take this poll as a jumping-off point, really. I’m interested to hear what the cut-off is when you’re at the end of a chapter and you decide whether or not you wantContinue reading “It’s late. You’re reading. You’ll treat youself to the next chapter if… (Poll)”

Get Your Novel Editor-Ready free webinar: registration closes soon

Early-career writers. Sitting on the fence about whether to join the Get Your Novel Editor-Ready webinar tomorrow? Here’s a taster from our last session in January.* ๐Ÿ”Ž We show you examples of writing craft gone awry to help you fine-tune your radar for spotting glitches in your own writing. Tomorrow we will cover POV/Perspective asContinue reading “Get Your Novel Editor-Ready free webinar: registration closes soon”

Is it sprang or sprung?

๐ŸŒท Spring has sprung. Or at least it will soon. But what we know for sure is that it hasnโ€™t โ€˜sprangโ€™. Tis the season for a grammar explainer. ๐Ÿฆ˜ The Present Tense: ‘Spring’. Iโ€™m looking at the verb today. โ€˜Springโ€™ as in โ€˜to jumpโ€™. Like that mnemonic for the clocks: โ€˜Spring forward, fall back.โ€™ LoveContinue reading “Is it sprang or sprung?”

Crafting connections: the power of social opportunities for people-person writers and editors.

Social energy is poweful. As a people-person writer, embrace opportunities for interaction. Not all writers are introverts. Gain inspiration from coffee meetups, virtual accountability groups, and writers’ cafes. Let social interactions fuel your creativity and propel your writing forward.

The Promise of the Premise. A lesson for authors from the Willy Wonka Experience.

Leap week was a gift, was it not? Not only were we given the gift of an extra day, but we were given the gift that kept on giving โ€“ and that was news of the farcical Willy Wonka Experience in Glasgow in all its technicolour (and muted grey) glory. The short version of theContinue reading “The Promise of the Premise. A lesson for authors from the Willy Wonka Experience.”

Last two slots for summer 2024 edits. Get in touch today.

Novel editing slots are filling up fast, with availability down to the last two slots this summer. While specializing in women’s fiction, romance, and fantasy, Cherry Edits covers a broad range of genre fiction. Act quickly to secure your spot. Limited openings are available in July and August. Prospective clients get a complimentary 1000-word sample edit. Don’t miss the opportunity to enhance your manuscript โ€“ reach out soon!

My editing work is 100% fiction, but my testimonials are 100% fact.

Word clouds are so early 2000s ๐Ÿ˜… But I made one because I was curious to see what words were being repeated in the testimonials written about me by my lovely authors. If you sense a bit of own horn tooting going on here, you’re absolutely right. Sorry about that! ๐Ÿ“ฏ ๐Ÿ“ฏ Toot toot! ThisContinue reading “My editing work is 100% fiction, but my testimonials are 100% fact.”

Question: Who can I talk to about my novel? Answer: Me!

Literally a no-makeup selfie. But if you spend too long deliberating these things, you never get them done. Anyway, here’s my face โ€“ not that you’ll see it on a phone call! 5+ years in the indie publishing world has given me a whole load of insights and you might just fancy using me asContinue reading “Question: Who can I talk to about my novel? Answer: Me!”

Notebooks for ‘ink’sight. The KWL evaluation method is a writer’s secret weapon.

Evaluation is a skill you need wherever you are in your writing career. Use one of your many notebooks to identify what you Know, what you Want to know, and โ€“ once you’ve looked up the answers to your questions โ€“ what you’ve Learnt. If you’ve evaluated that your storytelling craft could use some work,Continue reading “Notebooks for ‘ink’sight. The KWL evaluation method is a writer’s secret weapon.”

Elevating Fictional Dialogue: When the unwritten rules of successful communication should be followed, and when they need to be broken.

In their studies, linguistics undergrads learn about Paul Grice‘s work on conversation, considering the Cooperative Principle and its maxims โ€“ four unwritten rules for successful verbal interaction: ๐Ÿ’ก Quantity: Judge the right amount to say.๐ŸŒ Relevance: Keep your words pertinent to the conversation.๐Ÿ—ฃ Manner: Be clear, precise, and maintain order in communication.๐Ÿคฅ Quality: Tell theContinue reading “Elevating Fictional Dialogue: When the unwritten rules of successful communication should be followed, and when they need to be broken.”