Author Archives: Deborah

Super quick writing wins

Kia ora, Some days you don’t want to have an in-depth revision session. You just want to make a few easy changes to your manuscript and call it a day. I get it. Here are a handful of straightforward changes you can make today.  Search for these in your manuscript and grab yourself a fewContinue reading “Super quick writing wins”

My favourite writing goofs

Kia ora, Over the years, I’ve picked up all sorts of goofs in my editing work. Here are a few I remember: In each case, something stuck out to me as I read. And because of the type of person I am, I had to go fact-checking. The authors weren’t dummies for making these mistakes.Continue reading “My favourite writing goofs”

Editing lingo: What is a pass and what is a round?

If you’re talking to an editor about getting your manuscript edited, you’ll likely hear us talk about how many rounds of editing we provide and how many passes of your manuscript we’ll do.  They’re not the same thing, so knowing the difference will help you understand what you’re getting for your money.  What is aContinue reading “Editing lingo: What is a pass and what is a round?”

What do you love doing the most?

Kia ora, Last weekend I put on my tramping boots and went for a loooong walk. I didn’t really need my boots, but wearing them made the walk feel more like an adventure. Plus there were cow pats everywhere. I go for a short walk most lunchtimes, and I do a circuit of the BotanicContinue reading “What do you love doing the most?”

Word choices matter

Kia ora, I read an excellent article on The Spinoff last week: Why the word ‘tribe’ makes some Māori uneasy. It’s a great read, and I think even if you’re not from New Zealand, you’ll still find it interesting and valuable. It got me thinking about how word choice matters so much. You’ve heard meContinue reading “Word choices matter”

Type 2 fun

Kia ora, Do you know about the fun scale? It’s a way of categorising experiences based on how easy to hard the experience was. Type 2 fun and type 3 fun are what a lot of armchair adventurers enjoy reading about. Trips they’d never go on themselves, but they still want to read about othersContinue reading “Type 2 fun”

If we only had 15 minutes together

Kia ora, If I could sit with you and talk about your manuscript, here’s what I’d say: First, congratulations on writing a whole damn book! That’s huge. The hardest part, in my opinion, is DONE. But that doesn’t mean you’re done-done. Getting the story out is just the first stage. But that’s okay. Publishing isContinue reading “If we only had 15 minutes together”

The effect “before” and “after” have on your travel writing (aka timeline nudges)

Let’s start with an anecdote:  When I arrived in the clearing, I set up my tent before putting my sleeping bag inside, then got my stove boiling so I could make a cup of Milo. I went for a walk to collect dry wood after I had warmed up, before lighting a camp fire. There’sContinue reading “The effect “before” and “after” have on your travel writing (aka timeline nudges)”