Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays

Kia ora, I don’t know about you, but I am hanging out for the Christmas break. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve had a great year editing a lot of fantastic manuscripts for wonderful authors, but summer is here and the beach is calling. Wherever you are in the world, whether you celebrate Christmas orContinue reading “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”

Are you a writer?

Kia ora, A writer I worked with earlier in the year got in touch recently with an update. He’d just finished self publishing his first book – the book we worked on together. “I guess I’m a writer now!” he said.  I shared his joy, of course! Getting that first book out is huge. ButContinue reading “Are you a writer?”

Pull your writing out of the toddler zone

Kia ora, Have you ever got stuck talking to a toddler who’s telling you all about their trip to the playground and that they got to feed the ducks, and then they got chased by the ducks, and then they stood in duck poo, and then they found a stick, and then, and then, andContinue reading “Pull your writing out of the toddler zone”

How to use quotes and epigraphs

You’ve probably read a book that has a quote at the start, or maybe each chapter opens with a quote. They’re called epigraphs, and their purpose is to give the reader an idea of the tone or theme the story intends to set. But did that person actually say those words? And were those words the actual words they used?

Highlights from the Mountain Film & Book Festival

Kia ora, I had a wonderful time at the Mountain Film & Book Festival! The talks were so full of energy and excitement, and the audience buzz was so much fun to be around. And of course I picked up (quite a few) new books. At the Words & Wine event, five authors read extractsContinue reading “Highlights from the Mountain Film & Book Festival”

How to include flashbacks in your writing

Flashbacks send readers back in time to events that happened outside your story’s “present”. Knowing how to nudge your readers in the right direction will keep readers engaged, instead of having them go “huh?”