Garrison Keillor’s advice struck a chord the first time I heard it, and I often come back to it: My advice to writers is very simple. It is to get out. Get out more, don’t sit in the house. Go for walks, it’s good for you. Writing is an obsessive activity and it’s too…
A proofreading tip that tells you not to proofread? I know it sounds counter-intuitive but stay with me; there’s method in my madness. What I mean is don’t proofread your text… … at first. In other words, just read it. Like, for pleasure. Not only will this make the job easier in the long run,…
It’s January, and it’s cold and bleak. At this time it’s only natural to feel more motivated to curl up in a duvet and read a good book instead of write one. But there are things you can do to stay on track with your writing resolutions. Here are a few ideas. 1. Start small. Baby…
Blood, bitterness and blackmail. Author Wendy Percival talks about her first novel, Blood-Tied, and completing her second, The Indelible Stain. “I’ve always liked something with a bit of mystery and intrigue, where you’re wanting to know what the hidden thing is behind it all, with twists and turns.” Mid-Devon based writer Wendy Percival is telling…
In order to answer this question, it may help to consider how you define ‘writing’. Writing isn’t just about sitting at a desk. Sure, that does come in to it, but by the time you get to that stage you’ll have already made the commitment to words, by which time the question will be irrelevant. Let…
Even if your text is destined for paper, the chances are that at the proofreading stage you’re looking at it on a screen. Because if you’re like me, you started out with a notebook and pen and wrote your ideas out longhand, then went to a computer to type up your ideas. Computers are definitely great for…
21st December is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. It is on this day that pagans meet at sacred sites, such as Stonehenge, to worship and welcome new sun. After this day, days get longer and more sun is going to come. As pagans celebrate and show reverence, awe and gratitude to the…
I mean the old-fashioned kind, the papery thing. It may seem a tad old-school these days, when most writing is done on a computer or an electronic notebook. Why would you need a notebook and pen? Well, one way in to the proofreading task is to make a to-do list of things you know you’ll…
When you’re proofreading your own text there’s nowhere to hide. If there are any typos – SPAG, syntax, factual errors – you can’t blame your proofreader. Your proofreader is you. What’s more, if your writing is going to appear online, you will have additional proofreaders: your readers. You can’t blame these people either. While in…
I recently read something I wrote more than a year ago and had forgotten about. It was like reading something written by another person. Coming to it fresh I was able to appreciate it in a completely different way from if I had just written it. Not only can revisiting old pieces of work do wonders for your…
