personalblog – Page 2

The best non-fiction I’ve read this year: ‘Dialogue’ by Robert McKee

Ah, this was much harder to decide. But here’s my top NON-FICTION read of the year. (Though I’m not enamoured with your cover, Mr McKee.) I’ve also read McKee’s popular ‘Story’, but I found this one better. It’s less pretentious. More actionable. And thoroughly entertaining. It seems I love learning from non-fiction books with aContinue reading “The best non-fiction I’ve read this year: ‘Dialogue’ by Robert McKee”

The best fiction I’ve read this year: ‘The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue’ by V E Schwab

⭐ The best FICTION I read in 2022 … ⭐ The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue Stunning piece of writing. Gripping plot. Wide-ranging. Spans centuries and geography. I want to tell you my favourite line, but it’s kind of a spoiler, so I won’t. There are fantasy elements for the sake of the story, notContinue reading “The best fiction I’ve read this year: ‘The Invisible Life Of Addie LaRue’ by V E Schwab”

The best way to learn is through stories. A review of The Glamour of Grammar by Roy Peter Clark

The best way to learn is through stories. The Glamour of Grammar is not a textbook. It’s a story of language from one who loves its bones. You will remember so much more about language because the lessons here are attached to tidbits, anecdotes and analogies. I wholeheartedly recommend the audiobook. Clark narrates his ownContinue reading “The best way to learn is through stories. A review of The Glamour of Grammar by Roy Peter Clark”

Do your research before hiring an editor. Beware false economies.

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥. 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿. 𝗕𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀. 🆕 I got a new fridge yesterday and it made me think. Not all edits are created equal… (Bear with me.) Because. Here’s the thing. My new fridge, from the outside, looks a lot like my old fridge. It has the same outward appearance.Continue reading “Do your research before hiring an editor. Beware false economies.”

The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden: An excellent reminder that motivation comes once you start doing something, not before.

I think about this book often. I finished it a year ago, my phone reminds me. And the messages in the book have definitely stayed with me. Lines like this are brilliant: 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗮 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁. 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸Continue reading “The Motivation Myth by Jeff Haden: An excellent reminder that motivation comes once you start doing something, not before.”

Wide for the Win? We’ll definitely look into that. Amazon keyword woes have given me a touch of the Mrs Cratchitts.

EDITED TO ADD: Whoop! It’s fixed 🎉. But we still don’t know what the actual problem was. What they keyword was that caused this glitch— 🤷‍♀️ So it’s still been a valuable lesson. Thanks for reading my stressy post. I love it how my mind immediately turned to a Dickens passage when we were goingContinue reading “Wide for the Win? We’ll definitely look into that. Amazon keyword woes have given me a touch of the Mrs Cratchitts.”

New service: manuscript assessments.

Early last month, I wrote a post about signing a contract with a client to do my first manuscript assessment. Anyway, it went well! I’m really pleased with this testimonial. Honestly, even though it was my first one, I didn’t find it a difficult task. It took me a while, yes, as I was overthinkingContinue reading “New service: manuscript assessments.”

If a book doesn’t have a pacy plot, can it still be good?

What books live in your mind library and why? I’ve just finished Things Fall Apart. Wow. I don’t have a detailed review to share with you as it’s one that’ll take a while to process. What I can say about it is that I reckon it’ll live in my mind library on the same shelvesContinue reading “If a book doesn’t have a pacy plot, can it still be good?”

What words and phrases do you find pleasing?

Some words and phrases are just pleasing. “Belt and braces.” This is the idiom my computer repair guy used last week when he came to fix my WiFi issues. I now have two ways of connecting and, if one’s slow, the other will kick in. “Cut and shut.” This phrase came to mind when myContinue reading “What words and phrases do you find pleasing?”

Indie authors: when you can’t work, your books can. Book sales can give your family wiggle room.

📍Indie authors take note. There’s money to be made even when there’s a bump in the road. *** I am obviously not rejoicing that my son has picked up some kind of primary school freshers’ flu on his return to class this September… But I am rejoicing that I no longer have to ask permissionContinue reading “Indie authors: when you can’t work, your books can. Book sales can give your family wiggle room.”