Book Reviews/A Writing Journey
Tag: Writing
I recently completed the first draft of my fifth manuscript that’s set in India. I challenged myself to write at least a thousand words a day and planned to complete the work by Christmas. When I reached that goal, it was time to take a break—time to read more again and do some of the activities I’d set aside.
Continue reading “What to do after that first draft is done”
This is a tip I learned from one of our critique facilitators, Julie Ferguson, who led our local writing group for decades. Unfortunately (for us) she has since moved cities, but I haven’t forgotten her many gems of advice while editing.
Read aloud. Two things happen when I read my work aloud. Firstly, I hear what I’ve written more clearly than merely reading in my head. Secondly, when I stumbled on a phrase, it usually means there’s something not quite right with what I’ve written.
One of the key factors for me when editing, is time — not time to edit, but time between edits. I don’t immediately see many problems in my writing until I leave a piece for a week or longer. When I return, the issues become clear.
Continue reading “How time improves editing”
Research is a fundamental part of writing. Sometimes we think we know everything about a topic or place, but it’s always good to check the facts. Readers are savvy, and an error can pull them right out of your story. It happened to me while reading a well-known book set in Germany. Dialog yanked me out of the story and I turned to the back cover to check, knowing only an Australian author would use that phrase not a German, and I was right. Continue reading “The importance of research”
Read and Write 
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