Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Simply Writing tips”
First up, I’d like to apologise for the absence of a December post. Life got suddenly crazy in that month, with a heap of family visiting from overseas and end of school craziness. I hope you’ve all had a safe, happy and healthy festive season and new year. I’d just …
I’ve received a lot of requests to do a SIMPLY WRITING post on pacing, and I promise, this is something I’ll definitely address in the future. But as a codicil to that post, I’d like to address an issue that contributes to slower paced writing, something I’ve seen in quite …
Active vs. passive voice is one of those concepts that seems to confound many writers. We think we’re writing actively, that it’s clear our characters are doing what they’re doing, but often we’re not. First look, it appears a relatively easy job to identify which one you’re using—second look, it’s …
In light of my upcoming RWA OWL and last month’s RWA and RWNZ conference workshops, I thought it would be good to do a short blog on CHARACTERISATION THROUGH NARRATION. What is CHARACTERISATION THROUGH NARRATION? It’s the essence of crafting well-developed, 3-dimensional, believable characters. When you write using CHARACTERISATION THROUGH …
I’ve talked on several occasions about the importance of beginnings and endings. Whether in regards to your entire manuscript, the chapters or the individual scenes, it is important to use these moments to hook your reader. Now I’m going to break this down one step further, to talk about sentences …
What do the opening and closing chapters of a story have in common? Many things I’m sure, but one of the most important factors—and most riveting—is conflict. I can imagine your protest, but hear me out. Our opening chapters serve many purposes. They hook the reader. They introduce setting and …
Welcome everyone! A while ago I asked what topics you’d like covered, and Toni mentioned she’d love a post on plotting. As a pantser, I don’t believe I’m the best person to offer advice, so I’ve asked Ebony McKenna, author of Edit Your Romance Novel, to give us a rundown …
This month I’d like to give a little insight into that wonderful selling tool—the author bio. Just one of the few things authors dread writing, not quite up there with the synopsis, but close. Why is the author bio such a dreaded evil? After all, what is it but a …
Welcome back to my two-part post on query letters 🙂 Of course, every season is the season to be querying, as long as you know what you’re doing. Hopefully, this and my last post will help you on your way to gaining the requests you’re after. So, last month we …
I’m not certain there is a particular season for querying an editor or agent, but I thought this a fitting title given that Christmas has just been and gone, and who wouldn’t want a contract tied up with a pretty green, red and gold bow? When submitting a manuscript to …
