You know when your eyes are burning and your fingers and cramped and up come up for a gulp of air and realise, ‘Heck, almost there!’ That’s me. The fifth episode of Paranormology is only a hop, skip and a […]
Read moreTag: drafting
Next in Paranormology – Portsmouth Avenue Ghost
It’s official: the next in Paranormology sees our protagonist accompany the Professor to Exeter, following up on a potential lead involving a wealthy widow and a mysterious medium. I finished the second draft just now – coffee down, have a […]
Read more
Editing – Ugh… Do I have to?
Who ever said that writing was glamorous? Not me, I can assure you. I can think of many words to describe it. Glamorous doesn’t make the list. The writing bit is fun. You know, making up the story and getting […]
Read more
Borobo Reef – Nearly There!
Tedrick has come a long way. I had the 20th of April marked down as the cut-off for the second draft and I’m chuffed to say that I’ve hit it! I’d pop a champagne but instead I’ve popped a few […]
Read more
It’s that time again…
‘Jolimont Street Ghost’ second draft is done. Still a few things to tidy up. Still some paragraphs that need work. But now it’s time to break out the red pen. Yeppers, it’s head down, bum up, editing hat on with […]
Read more
Next in Paranormology – Jolimont Street Ghost
OK, I lied. I promised I wouldn’t do any writing over the holidays. The laptop was there, I managed to squeeze a spare hour out, one thing led to another… The Series Keeping with the idea of a “ghost story […]
Read more
About that Red Pen…
It’s a very nice red pen, isn’t it? The ink is smooth, the grip is light but firm. The colour is vibrant. How are you using it? Are you liberally applying ink to the page or are you more reserved […]
Read more
Grammar, Punctuation & Spelling – Oh My!
There are reasons we read fiction. Finding out how good the author is at their spelling, grammar and punctuation is not one of them. If it is for you, you’re a stickler. Or a sicko. Or a sticklo. There, that […]
Read more
Watch your Language!
The first sweep (or sweeps) have landed your book in a nice spot: It makes sense, it says what you want it to say, and it starts and ends properly. You’ve checked the continuity and all of that in the […]
Read more
From the Top… Down
Sweeping through my draft on the first run, I want to make sure that my story says and does what I want it to say and do. If it’s a comedy, it has to be funny. If it’s adventure, the […]
Read more