Tag Archives: forauthors

It’s good to talk. Writers/editors, do you do enough of it?

Eighteen months on from going all-in with Cherry Edits, I’ve added time to talk into my schedule. Excuse me while I mix my metaphors… The majority of my week is still taken up with at-the-typeface edits: my bread and butter. And it’s good bread and good butter! I love the work I do – keepContinue reading “It’s good to talk. Writers/editors, do you do enough of it?”

Creative writing groups: they’re many and varied. Find the right one for you.

Who here attends in-person creative writing groups? 🙋‍♀️ TL;DR – They’re so varied. If you try one and don’t like it, try others. Here are some reflections on the creative writing groups I’ve attended over the years. ⭐ A weekly group in a Leeds cafe after closing, perhaps a Thursday evening. Great. Nice atmosphere. GoodContinue reading “Creative writing groups: they’re many and varied. Find the right one for you.”

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 – once you’ve looked up the answers to your questions – 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 – four unwritten rules for successful verbal interaction: 💡 Quantity: Judge the right amount to say.🌐 Relevance: Keep your words pertinent to the conversation.🗣 Manner: Be clear, precise, and maintain order in communication.🤥 Quality: Tell theContinue reading “Elevating Fictional Dialogue: When the unwritten rules of successful communication should be followed, and when they need to be broken.”

‘Show don’t tell’ is a useful rule of thumb. Here are some easy wins.

Struggling to express your characters’ emotions without telling? Let me help! Here’s a sneak peek into a no-stress method. 👉 Negative emotion ‘tells’ to avoid: He felt frustrated. 🚫 They looked uncomfortable. 🚫 She was sad. 🚫 👍 Better to ‘show’: He grabbed his coat and left. ✔ They fidgeted in their seats. ✔ SheContinue reading “‘Show don’t tell’ is a useful rule of thumb. Here are some easy wins.”

‘This was meant to be the year that I…’ Would I be right to assume you’re in a philosophical mood?

💭 “This was meant to be the year that I…” I’ve been thinking about an image. It shows a guy doing an about-turn. He’s mining for diamonds and he’s hunched over. He’s expended so much energy and he has no more reserves. But what he doesn’t realise is that there’s only a thin layer ofContinue reading “‘This was meant to be the year that I…’ Would I be right to assume you’re in a philosophical mood?”

Calling all aspiring or early-career SFF writers… Work on your story craft in 2024.

copy-of-calling-all-aspiring-or-earl-career-sff-writers Do you have a spare couple of hours free from the week beginning 29th January 2024? Join a small cohort of like-minded SFF writers for a self-paced, tutor-supported SFF storytelling course. Click here to secure your spot.

Is it mantelpiece or mantlepiece?

Do you know your mantles from your mantels? I do, but Microsoft Word doesn’t. It NEVER flags ‘mantlepiece’ as an error. If you are attached to your mantlepiece (seek help! 🔗) you’re not alone. Merriam-Webster recommends ‘mantel’ (‘el’ like the ‘el’ of ‘shelf’ ) for the over-the-fireplace ledge, but it acknowledges that ‘mantle’ has been/isContinue reading “Is it mantelpiece or mantlepiece?”