The short answer: as long as it needs to be. While this is a vague answer, understanding word counts can make the difference between readers finishing your book or abandoning it half way through. Let’s discuss why your word count matters, look at some examples, and look at ways to reduce your word count whenContinue reading “How long should your book be? A word count guide for travel and adventure writers”
Tag Archives: Writing resources
Help me help you
Kia ora, Thank you again for giving me space in your inbox and letting me talk all things adventure books and book editing. I love what I do and the writers I get to work with – you all go on such awesome adventures! Here are some of the most common questions I get fromContinue reading “Help me help you”
Out vs in: 2025 edition
Kia ora, You know what I’m going to say: Happy New Year! I hope you had a good break over Christmas. My break was a bit chaotic 😅 Lots of house projects, garden work, a couple of walks, and a bike ride that sent me over the handlebars. I survived, and somehow want to doContinue reading “Out vs in: 2025 edition”
What types of editing are there?
Broadly speaking, there are three types of editing and each one focuses on a different stage of the writing and publishing process.
A guide to travel & adventure writing genres
Reading all sorts of travel and adventure stories can inspire your own writing and give you ideas about different storytelling techniques. Here’s my list of travel and adventure genres, along with some of my favourite books for each.
How to write scientific names for animals, plants, and fungi
As an adventure writer, you probably don’t often use scientific naming in your stories, but occasionally you might want to use the scientific name of a creature that you come across during your travels.
Here is how those names are formatted.
How to avoid overloading your descriptions
It’s tempting to load your adventure scenes with detail-rich descriptions that capture what you experienced in the moment. But too much detail can overwhelm a scene and slow the pace.
The problem with colonial charm
The phrase “colonial charm” often pops up in travel writing, such as in accommodation listings, descriptions of architecture, or the general vibe of a town. There’s just one problem with it. Or rather, three problems,
Benefits of working with a human editor
Automated grammar and spelling tools can help improve your writing, but there are still benefits to working with a human editor (like me!).
When you work with a human editor, you benefit from our encouragement, suggestions, queries, and experience.
Is that creature venomous or poisonous?
Knowing your venomous creatures from your poisonous ones will go a long way in building trust with your readers. Using the correct words shows you know what you’re talking about.
Deborah Shaw Adventure Editing 