Deborah

One for the Kiwis

Kia ora, I don’t often get political in this newsletter, but my god, I cannot wait to vote out this government on November 7. I could bang on about what bollocks the coalition have been doing, but I’ll stick with a summary of the Conservation Amendment Bill this time. This bill opens up around 60%Continue reading “One for the Kiwis”

How to write accents in travel and adventure memoirs

We all speak with an accent. It might not feel like we do, but that’s because our own voices sound “normal” to us. But I know I have a Kiwi accent. When I worked in the UK, my accent wreaked havoc in the workplace. To my British colleagues, “Fish and chips” sounded like “Fush andContinue reading “How to write accents in travel and adventure memoirs”

Being edited makes you a better writer

Kia ora, Many years ago I worked with an author on his first book. He was a journalist by training, so he knew what it was like working with a subeditor. But he’d never worked with a book editor before, nor had anything as long as a manuscript edited. He was a little nervous aboutContinue reading “Being edited makes you a better writer”

That time I suggested an author add a … tasteful? … joke to his story

Kia ora, That tasteful joke in the subject line. It was actually a dick joke. But I didn’t want to say it that obviously in case the spam gods banished my email. But yes, I once suggested an author add a dick joke to his story. This author had a particular writing style – self-deprecating,Continue reading “That time I suggested an author add a … tasteful? … joke to his story”

Author scams – stay safe out there

One of my regular authors had a run-in with a scammer recently. I want to tell you about it so you can notice the red flags should the same thing happen to you. A senior editor from Penguin Random House emailed this author and told him Penguin were keen to acquire their latest book. ButContinue reading “Author scams – stay safe out there”

A fresh idea for dealing with a writing rut

Kia ora, Yesterday I spent the morning staring at a blank doc trying to figure out how to get a blog idea out. I had the topic, and I knew what I wanted to say, but … the thoughts were not connecting with the fingers on the keyboard. Feel familiar? I’m sure you’ve had yourContinue reading “A fresh idea for dealing with a writing rut”

Super quick writing wins

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.

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”

What are your favourite writing tools?

Kia ora, How do you wrangle the tens of thousands of words that go into your book? It’s easy to manage a few pages, but when you start getting into chapters and you’re scrolling and scrolling to find the spot where you want to add a detail, the whole writing thing gets a little complicated.Continue reading “What are your favourite writing tools?”

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?”