Tag Archives: forwriters

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 – 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 – reach out soon!

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

Word clouds are so early 2000s 😅 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! 📯 📯 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 – 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!”

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.”