It’s not all about being right
When people hear that I’m an editor, they assume I must use perfect language all of the time, never make a grammatical slip and spell like a creepy 12 year old prodigy.
The trouble is people don’t think or write or read perfectly. As long as the sentence makes the sense the author intended, and sounds as elegant as I think it can, that’s my priority.
Spelling mistakes are different though, the printed word has authority (especially for children) and should be correct. Spelling does change over the years though – very few people spell flying machines aeroplane these days – and that should mirror the character or narrator that’s talking.
Incorrect use of apostrophes changes the sense of what is being written and should be stamped out. I have been known to edit graffiti when the apostrophe is in the wrong place…
May 6, 2015 Leave a comment
A fully stacked Kindle just isn’t the same
I’m off on holidays shortly and am really looking forward to some concentrated reading time (if my family let me!). I’ve got around 50 unread books on my Kindle which I’m going to get stuck into.
I got given my Kindle (by my long-suffering husband) to make holiday packing a lighter affair. It is much easier to take one small device and a charger than a suitcase full of books but but but…
That lovely pile of books moment – the fresh, just bought, ready to get stuck in pile of books moment. A Kindle just doesn’t cut it. How many of these do you think I can smuggle into the suitcase? Which one would you start with? What’s on your holiday reading list?/
August 14, 2014 Leave a comment
Beautiful words everywhere – or May the Tube never change
I find beautiful words everywhere – accidental, historical and just giving me pause to think about the wonder of words.
Walking through a wet Kings Cross, the tannoy announces ‘due to today’s inclement weather the surfaces are slippery, please take care.’
Who uses ‘inclement’? It means merciless as well as stormy weather, and there’s that sense of a chill to the bone from the word – then the voice soothes you with care, they care despite the pitiless weather.
And that care continues – ‘take care while alighting.’
I feel like I’m floating off the bus.
July 18, 2014 Leave a comment
Threading your plot through your novel
In some ways, it doesn’t look like much. Just a set of scrawled, crossed out columns on a scrappy piece of file paper. It’s actually a section of JK Rowling’s plotting for HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. Each column is a different plot strand, the chapter numbers go across the horizontal and the author is mapping how the plot strands develop through the chapters.
Obviously each author has their own style when planning out their plots, but she’s careful to make sure each strand advances coherently, and she keeps track of how far each has come. How do you plot your novels?
July 7, 2014 Leave a comment
Don’t smirk at me
I hate authors using the word ‘smirk’. In a typical week, I will come across four or five characters smirking away. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against someone having a sneaky mean grin at someone else’s expense – but the vast majority of the time the author means ‘smile’.
People don’t smirk when they are happy with someone else. They don’t smirk to show genuine whole-hearted approval. They don’t smirk to express joy.
Please please please – if your character is about to smirk, look at the following checklist:
continue reading »April 30, 2014 Leave a comment
A Writing Blog Tour
I’ve been tagged in a writing blog tour – aimed at those of us who write for a living. I don’t write novels or fiction, but I do write reports for my clients, which is why mymumdom has included me.
continue reading »April 24, 2014 Leave a comment
What’s a review worth?
If self-publishing means everyone can be a writer, then the internet means anyone can be a critic. There’s something intoxicating about being asked for your opinion on everything you buy, from batteries to Christmas turkey. Do you succumb? What about what you’ve read – how many books do you review?
continue reading »January 9, 2014 Leave a comment
Holiday reading summer 2013
It’s going to be a kindle only holiday for me this year. My husband’s plan has worked very well and I have been stocking up electronically for the last few months. There was one small flaw – actually make that two flaws..
They’re aged 8 and 10 and both reading like demons now. I’ve allowed about ten books each, long ones – for a two week holiday. They could swap books but I suspect they won’t unless they get desperate.
I’ll type up my list of what I’m taking shortly, but thought it might be helpful if I mentioned some of the books I’ve read recently which would be perfect for taking away.
continue reading »July 22, 2013 Leave a comment
JK Rowing’s secret life
UPDATED TO ADD REVIEW
It’s just come to light that a well-reviewed crime writer, Robert Galbraith, is actually JK Rowling, writing without the full glare of expectation and scrutiny – and doing rather well. (Doing rather well for a first time crime novelist is somewhere in the region of 500 hardback sales so far. It’s hard to assess how the paperback sales would have held up – given that the hardback has shot up more than 500,000% on the Amazon chart..)
THE CUCKOO’S CALLING was published as a hardback back in April as a crime debut. Which brings up some interesting ethical questions. It was absolutely a crime debut, but it certainly wasn’t a first novel by the author in question. The glowing reviews mention how impressed they were with such a stunning debut. Are we kinder to novelists when they’re starting out? She’s chosen a male pseudonym, is gender still a factor when you choose to read an author?
Putting that to one side, I am absolutely delighted to hear that JK Rowling is writing crime. My overwhelming feeling after reading THE CASUAL VACANCY was that crime would be a terrific genre for her – so I downloaded the e-book this morning to have a quick read.
continue reading »
July 14, 2013 Leave a comment
The questions I always get asked
When I tell people what my job is, I get a variety of responses. This blog post is an attempt to answer those responses…
continue reading »June 5, 2013 Leave a comment