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We’ve all done it – written a word similar to the one we wanted to write but a word with a very different meaning. I’ve been guilty of writing about a character who was ‘battling through the dessert, his body pushed to breaking point’. Of course, I meant the sandy version i.e. the ‘desert’. The…
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It’s been back to the old photo album this week in search of a photo to accompany a nostalgia piece I’ve written about the comics I enjoyed as a child. The editor wants some photos of me when I was little. I won’t be sending this one in. My mother insists the ‘Elfin-look’ hairdo was…
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Whether you’re a short story writer, novelist, copywriter or non-fiction writer, always check your work through. If you don’t and your script is full of spelling mistakes, missing passages of text, omitted full stops and commas, then the editor/publisher will think you don’t care about your work. He’ll think that if you don’t care, then…
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This iconic quote from the film, ‘Jerry Maguire’ could be applied to editors who drag their heels when it comes to paying for published work. A few editors pay on acceptance, though these are few and far between. Most pay 4-6 weeks after publication. Sometimes the editor will require an invoice so check whether one…
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Book one in my children’s book series has now been edited to within an inch of its life! Though, I have to say, I am finally happy with the end result. My daughter has also finished the cover illustration and it looks fantastic. Only five books in the series to go! Although I’m immersed in…
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As a cat lover, when I saw this, it had to be my ‘funny of the week’:
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When I saw the image below, I thought how true it is of writing. As writers, we all have a dream – whether it’s to be a best-selling author, a weekly columnist, or an article or short story writer. That dream can be achieved, even from the smallest start. But the most important thing is…
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Dastardly Dashes! Last week, it was the turn of the exclamation mark and this week it’s the turn of the dash (-). A dash is often used as a short interruption in text and like exclamation marks, a few are fine but overloading your script with them makes it harder on the eyes to read,…
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I recently came across a limerick writing competition. I haven’t written a limerick in ages so I thought I’d give the competition a miss. But the idea of writing a limerick keeps coming back. Traditional limericks have five lines, where the first, second and fifth lines rhyme, with seven to ten syllables in each line.…
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It’s been a very busy week Writers Bureau-wise, with lots of assignments to mark. Though, I thoroughly enjoy this aspect of my work; the students all have such creative ideas and it’s always a pleasure to help in any way I can. I’m also immersed in the joys of editing my children’s books – I’m…
Esther Chilton 