reading – writing – publishing
Numbers: All numbers between 21 and 99 (except 30, 40, 50, etc) should be hyphenated. Examples: Twenty-three and two hundred and eighty-nine. Numbers should be written in full at the start of a sentence. One or Two Words: anyone = any personHint: Try replacing the word anyone with any person. If it sounds right, it’s … Read moreGrammar: Things to Remember
With The Land of Miu series complete, I can now move on to other projects. The next manuscript I want to work on is Domino Effect. Having released three books for young readers, I now turn to writing for adults. Forget “cutesy” or “fun”. Those terms will not relate to my next book. Think more … Read moreMoving on to the Next Writing Project
I know it’s been a little quiet here lately. I’ve been busy editing The Lion Gods. Gone are the days when the website and my online presence took up all my time. These days, I write (or edit). I think I’ve got my priorities right … finally. The second phase went well. I love the … Read moreThe Lion Gods Moves into Stage 3 of the Editing Process
The Lion Gods has entered the first editing stage. Everyone does things different. My recommendation is to do what feels right for you. Normally, I would read through the story first, making notes as to problem areas such as random sub-plots that go nowhere, scenes that make no sense, and other ‘jump out and smack … Read moreEditing: Phase 1 – Listen!
All parties working on a project need to work as a team. They must also respect each other’s point of view. If everyone is working in different directions then the project will not succeed. Point of View Everyone has a point of view. Often everyone thinks their point of view is the right one. This … Read moreCommunication Skills
Before I get started on the course notes, I’d like to mention that the last two months has been hectic. I’ve been too busy to post or to do my courses. I’ve taken up the editing course again this week, but will defer the writing course until after the editing course is complete. That way, … Read moreEditing Course: Developing Good Working Relationship
You have written a story – short story or novel, it doesn’t matter. Now it is time to self-edit it. It is easy to find flaws in other people’s work, but quite difficult to recognise them in your own. There are three components of self-editing: 1. line/copy-editing, 2. sentence editing, 3. content editing. Line/Copy-editing A … Read moreWriting Course: Self-Editing Your Work
As an editor it is part of your job to watch out for things like offensive language and discriminatory wording — but only when it is out of context. Most of the time, the author does not intend harm or it may be a case of misinterpretation, but the editor must be objective and consider … Read moreEditing Course: Be Aware of What You Edit