This article is about checkers. Everybody needs them, from the first-time storyteller to the seasoned novelist. There is a bewildering array of labels for those who check others’ writing. I offer simplified definitions below. Imagine boiling carrot soup in a non-stick...
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Books, chapters, paragraphs, words: guidelines on length
Books There are no hard-and-fast rules, but it pays to listen to those who have spent years in the industry. To arrive at the definitions below, I conflated opinions from two sources: Standout Books and an article by Chuck Sambuchino. Links are at the end....
NaNoWriMo – Is it for you?
It’s the last week in October, and many writers’ thoughts are inevitably turning to the annual novel-writing event, NaNoWriMo. What started as a modest venture in San Francisco Bay in 1999 with 21 participants has grown into a global phenomenon with millions...
Six Tips for Aspiring Writers
Six Tips for Aspiring Writers First, let’s be clear what this list is based on. My three years of writing fiction have produced one novel and a dozen short stories – highly enjoyable and illuminating, but hardly enough to qualify me to hand out advice. However,...
Do Not Go Gently Into That Adverb Denial
Do Not Go Gently Into That Adverb Denial Adverbs are about as popular as flatulence on your honeymoon. As aspiring writers, we are told to “avoid adverbs” or “avoid –ly words”. Oh dear. At least 30 –ly words are adjectives, not adverbs: likely, ghastly,...