Focus and Productivity: What Works for Me
I run my own editing business. So unlike when I used to work in a publishing house (and could slack off and still get paid the same wage every month), the more I work, the more I earn. And let’s [...]
What Kind of Writer Do You Want to Be?
Deciding what kind of writer you want to be is important, but it’s not something most fiction writers think too deeply about. I’m not talking about deciding whether you want to write novels over short stories, or if you want [...]
How to Write Powerful Metaphors
Metaphors are powerful weapons in your writing arsenal. (See what I did there? That was a metaphor.) A thoughtfully written metaphor used in just the right place will help you create vivid, original prose – the kind that makes readers sigh in [...]
A Light in the Darkness: Why We Love Dystopian Fiction
We can’t know the future, but it can be thrilling to speculate about it. Expanding population, climate change, technological advancement, corrupt governments, divided social classes … Follow the trajectory of any one of these current issues and it’s not hard [...]
How to Write a Synopsis – Everything You Need to Know
A synopsis is a one-page summary of your novel, used to demonstrate your story-crafting skills to a literary agent (or publisher). Most publishers don’t accept manuscript submissions directly from authors, so if you’d like to follow the traditional route to [...]
Year in Review and Goals for 2018
It’s still the first half of January, so hopefully I’m not too late in putting this post together. I mean, New Year’s isn’t the only time we can reflect and set intentions, but I do like the fresh-start feel a [...]
How to Write Conflict Without a Villain – Lessons from The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Every novel needs conflict, and every novel needs antagonistic forces. But this doesn't mean you need a villain (a person who actively sets out to thwart the hero). No; conflict, challenge and opposition can come from all kinds of places, [...]
Why is It So Hard to Take Time Off?
Today, I'm tired. I've been tired for a good few days, actually. When was the last time I had some time off? I checked my calendar. Okay, so I had three days off last month – but they were active, travel-filled days. [...]
Editors, Your Website Doesn’t Find You Clients
If you want to market your editing or proofreading business, you need a website. But simply having a website isn’t enough. After all, people still need to find your website. Not linking your website to your wider marketing strategies would [...]
Editor Guilt and Author Depression
When people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I edit novels, they usually follow up with ‘anything I’ll have read?’ My answer is ‘probably not’ – not because the authors I work with aren’t [...]