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”
Tag Archives: travel writing
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”
Going for a walk helped me figure out a big issue
Kia ora, I wasn’t at my desk, I wasn’t on the clock, I wasn’t actively thinking about the story at all, but the clichéd bolt of lightning hit me as I heaved my way up a hill, getting blasted by a full-on southerly straight from Antarctica: the tense was wrong. I’d been working on aContinue reading “Going for a walk helped me figure out a big issue”
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?”
Deborah Shaw Adventure Editing 