Blog
Screenwriting (Links and websites and recommended books)
I have been receiving questions about screenwriting of late and this is a quick post to list all the useful websites, software, and books I have discovered over the past few years. Software: Final Draft (the bees knees/industry standard software): $250 (*student...
Reedsy application
I followed the example of a couple of editor friends today and put in an application to join Reedsy (and now have a pretty little profile/online resume detailing my life - so far - as an editor). I neglected to list all the books I've edited, which number over one...
Bullet journal: Yearly plan spread
I thought I would open my bullet journal with my yearly goals, which are pretty much the same year on year (although the real reason for writing this post so soon after the first is because my publicize (auto-post connection with social media) hasn't been working and...
A new way of organising my time
My website 'about me' page introduces the fact that I am a writer (unpublished), editor, and reader. I am also a geek and love software, computers, and website design... oh, and gardening when I have the time. (You can't beat the taste of strawberries and cherry...
A new approach and an introduction
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my editing business, more specifically about how far it's come and how far I can take it. While it has certainly come a long way from the days of offering free edits in exchange for experience and testimonials for my...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: M is for Movement
M is for Movement Today's post is about movement, namely how a character might move through a scene (from one location to another), and how a scene might move to a new location within a chapter. It will also cover the montage technique, which is commonly...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: L is for Life experience (aka how to tackle backstory)
L is for Life experience (aka, how to tackle backstory) Every character - from those in the starring role(s) to the lowly alien with a brief appearance on page fifty-six of book three - has dreams and aspirations. As in real life, our life experience...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: K is for Knots, crinkles and plot holes
K is for Knots, crinkles and plot holes I had to get a little creative choosing my subject for today, K is such a difficult letter to find a topic to write about, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at some of what I do as a developmental editor...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: J is for Journals and notebooks
J is for Journals and notebooks Sometimes it is hard to find inspiration to write a story or know how to tackle a particular scene, which is where journals and notebooks come into play. Every writer should have (at least) one. It doesn't need to be a paper...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: I is for Imagery
I is for Imagery I don't know about you, but when I'm reading a book, I love to 'see' the world I'm being immersed into. My genres of choice are - surprise, surprise - science fiction or fantasy. Both of these genres require a substantial amount of...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: H is for Head-hopping
H is for Head-hopping Head-hopping is the 'art' of jumping out of one character's head (perspective) and into another, usually under the guise of allowing the reader the 'full-on' experience. I've heard many a writer say they want their reader to know...
A-Z Blogging Challenge: G is for GDPR
G is for GDPR While this is a break from the subject of creative writing, the General Data Protection Regulation is coming into effect next month and will affect how I conduct my business. It's been spoken about for the last couple of years - I found out about it last...
A to Z Blogging Challenge: F is for Foreshadowing
F is for Foreshadowing This is a plot device that sees an author planting clues in earlier scenes of a story for a payoff at a later stage. If it is done well, the reader won't see it coming, but upon reaching the payoff, will realise that the clues were...
A to Z Blogging challenge: E is for Exposition
E is for Exposition Exposition is the insertion of background information that is crucial to the reader's understanding of a story, be it a backstory (prior events), setting, or description. As with description, my recommendation would be to filter...
A to Z Blogging challenge: D is for Describing through action and inner voice.
D is for Describing through Action and (Inner) Voice I've read many a book that will grind to a sudden halt as the author stops to describe a character, setting or item. When this happens, I always imagine the characters standing to the side, waiting, or...
A to Z Blogging challenge: C is for Crafting your Story
C is for Crafting your Story (dramatic arc) I briefly touched on the basics of storytelling yesterday and today’s post with expand on that and provide some links I hope you’ll find useful. Each story you write will follow a structure similar to the image...