Editing is a real skill, not one to be sniffed at. And being an editor of your own work isn’t easy — it’s actually pretty difficult. Indeed, lots of writing ‘fails’ merely because it hasn’t been very well edited: things haven’t been spotted. And I don’t just mean grammar, punctuation and typos, I mean problems of structure, tone of voice and content. So here are 13 advanced editing tips from me,...

Business organisations and websites   ‘getAbstract recommends keeping this handy guide on your desk.’ getAbstract ‘The story of “It’s just a shower” is worth the cost of the book alone.’   Self-Publishing Magazine ‘Business Writing Tips is a book that promises to ease the transition to a better way of writing.’  Small Biz Trends ‘A solid resource in this business writing genre,...

There is a saying that ‘you can’t start marketing your book too early’, so let’s begin with some things to do before your book is published. PRE-PUBLICATION Build a database/email marketing list, including family, friends, etc. Badger those that are willing/knowledgeable to write reviews on Amazon etc. Prepare a ‘factsheet’ with a high-impact graphic, which contains a summary of the content, your bio, how...

The paragraphs below explain each of the main types of punctuation.  But the punctuation is missing.  By doing this exercise you will therefore learn not only where and what type of punctuation to use, but also get practice in using it.  My suggested answers are given at the foot of the blog. Commas are used in lists of things to clarify meaning after introductory words and phrases like however (at the start or mid-sentence) when providing...

One way to improve your writing skills is to read quality, well written books.  Here are a few books that I read and enjoyed in 2016.  They come with my recommendation (I ditched about half as many again).  Let me know what you think of them. The books marked * are relatively new (the Burnet book was on the Booker Prize shortlist in 2016); the others are older … but they are all worth reading. I know why the caged bird sings – Maya...

When preparing a few things to say for a talk recently, I realised that writers need to be able to switch from reviewing an overall document to checking its micro details – and to be good at both. Then I realised it was a quality also needed by painters … and then I realised there are a few other parallels between writers and painters, such as being willing to experiment, having perseverance, etc.  And THEN … guess what; I...