It’s one thing for someone to give the writing advice of “show don’t tell” or “use the 5 senses” to flush out your characters and scenes… it’s entirely something else to sit down and attempt to do that very thing… Read More ›
editing
Editing Tip #89 – Evoking the Senses Pt.4: Smell
Our brain works on triggers: the baking your grandmother did every Sunday afternoon when she babysat you; your husband’s deodorant; your lover’s aftershave; that farm down the road from your childhood home that always smelled like sheep s**t in the… Read More ›
Aliens and guillotines- 6 reasons to break the editing rules.
Originally posted on Sue Vincent's Daily Echo:
I was curious. Being a writer, I keep seeing articles about the editing software available online to help writers and, over coffee, I thought I would have a quick look. I browsed…
Editing Tip #88 – Evoking the Senses Pt.3: Sound
Whether you’ve taken extensive creative writing lesson and workshops or you’re doing your best to get by on the advice of blogs and writing magazines, the 5 senses will always be integral to flushing out a scene and bringing depth… Read More ›
Editing Tip #87 – Evoking the Senses Pt.2: Touch
Writing that evokes the 5 senses is all about balance and knowing when to focus on any one sense over another or which ones to combine in order to make the biggest impact. Last week we looked at the most… Read More ›
Editing Tip #86 – Evoking the Senses pt.1: Sight
I know, you’re probably thinking, “All writing is based on what we see. That’s how 90% of all stories are told.” When actually, I would only agree to that statistic if you’re talking about highly edited and well-informed writing. In… Read More ›
Editing Tip #85 – Avoiding the Repetition of Exposition
We’ve all done it, something intrinsic to our story happens and different groups of people need to know about it; so, for the sake of the story we find ourselves repeating information the reader already knows – just to get… Read More ›
Reader’s Opinion: Yes, we are judging your book based on form, not function
Originally posted on Author Matt Bowes and the Dog's Breakfast:
First off, the following reviews I selected at from books picked at random. I did not read the books. I do not know if they have the errors or…
Editing Tip #84: Honing Character Pt 5 – Perfect is Boring
It’s relatively safe to say that everyone wants to find their perfect soul mate – but that doesn’t mean the person who is perfect for you, is in fact flawless. Now, we’ve touched on flaws and quirks already in this… Read More ›
Editing Tip #83: Get Your Dialogue Tags Working for You
He said, she screamed, they laughed, we cried, everyone gasped… These are some of the more useful dialogue tags available. The staple, of course, will always be: he/she said. Generally speaking (pun intended), new and inexperienced writers tend to overdo… Read More ›