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How to Write Grunts, Groans, Ums, Ahs and Ers in Your Novel
When writing dialogue, it’s tempting to focus solely on the words your characters say – but sometimes, what’s not said (the grunts, groans, ums, ahs and ers in your novel) can communicate just as much as the actual dialogue. These small, seemingly insignificant sounds, called vocal tics or filler words,…
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Pacing and Flow: Editing Tips to Keep Readers Engaged
Have you ever read back through your manuscript and felt something wasn’t quite right? Possibly your dialogue drags, or perhaps a scene that felt great when you were writing it now feels too short, with missing details. You’re probably bumping into issues with pacing and flow. If you want to…
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More Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Authors
If you’ve just finished the first draft of your novel, and reviewed my original list of 10 self-editing tips for fiction authors, please read on for the next 10. (There are 24 tips in total, and 24 is the best one of the lot…) Of course hiring a freelance editorial…
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Self-Editing Tips for Fiction Authors
If you’ve just finished the first draft of your novel, now it’s time to look at my list of self-editing tips for fiction authors. The better your manuscript is before you send it to a fiction editor for some professional attention, the better your final, published book will be. Authors…
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How to Stop Over-Describing in Your Novel
Make Your Writing Tighter, part 3 Newer authors often fall into the trap of over-describing, but how do you avoid over-describing (and generally overwriting) in novels? You might have heard the phrase ‘make every word count’. And you might have heard that ‘tight writing is good writing‘. But what do…
