Kia ora, I would like to file a complaint with the manager, who is, unfortunately, me. I allowed myself to get into an argument with someone about the Oxford comma. On Facebook, no less. Who have I become. If you need a refresh, the Oxford comma (or serial comma, or series comma) is the finalContinue reading “There are more important things to argue about than commas”
Tag Archives: self-publishing
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”
Avoid boring travel narratives: six ways to bring your readers along for the ride
When you’re writing for readers who aren’t your mum or best friend, you want to avoid sounding like all you’ve done is gone from a to b to c. That’s a sure-fire way to turn off readers.
The best way to avoid that “I went here, then I went there” trap is to pepper in details that will make readers care.
Grief is strange
Kia ora, Grief is strange. I’ve had two pets from different sides of the family die in the last few weeks. Both deaths have hit me in different ways. The cat was my grandma’s. When Grandma died, the cat moved in with Mum. The cat dying felt like the proper goodbye to Grandma, so allContinue reading “Grief is strange”
What editors do behind the scenes
A writer admitted this to me after we’d worked together on her manuscript: she didn’t really want to work with an editor, but her writing mentor told her to, so she did. She thought editors were human spellcheckers and I’d just go through and fix her grammar. She didn’t know what editing is, what itContinue reading “What editors do behind the scenes”
Chickens and trust
Kia ora, I’ve had a special guest in my office this week: a chicken in a box. She’s egg bound and making unsettling gurgles. But I’ve followed the advice (have you ever given a chicken a bath and massaged olive oil on her cloaca?) and I’m keeping her out of the galeforce wind and rainContinue reading “Chickens and trust”
What book editing looks like behind the scenes
Kia ora, Last week I talked about a client who was initially hesitant to work with an editor because they didn’t really get what editing is and didn’t know what it would involve. (Here’s last week’s email if you missed it.) This week I’m going to show you my process of editing a manuscript. IContinue reading “What book editing looks like behind the scenes”
Let’s grab coffee
Kia ora, If we caught up over coffee together and you asked me how to go about writing your adventure book, here’s what I’d say: These are the kinds of conversations I have with my authors, along with all the comments I leave on your manuscript, too! If you’re interested talking through your project, bookContinue reading “Let’s grab coffee”
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?
A blood moon and giving feedback
Kia ora, Did you catch the blood moon on Monday? I’m one of those horrific morning people so I was outside in my jammies and jacket at 5.30am watching the moon turn red. A great start to the day, I reckon. I’ve been wrapping up an adventure edit this week. It’s been great fun andContinue reading “A blood moon and giving feedback”
Deborah Shaw Adventure Editing 