Every good freelance editor knows that one of the initial stages of editing text is to check the accuracy of the piece, and that means correcting where necessary the facts and figures as well as the punctuation and grammar. In most of the work that you will do, this is a big part of what the client will expect. However, there is a grey area cal

There are different answers as to why we edit because there are always different people doing the job, and that's why editing means different things to different people. Students will have a slightly different idea about what it means to edit than the office worker will, and although they will be looking for some of the same things in the grammar a

Writing a book may seem like an overwhelming task but it can be quite easy once you take the pressure off of yourself. This book does not have to be written a day or a week. There is no pressure other than what you put on yourself. And there is no sense of failure other than what you allow. Let me explain. Life is full of choices. You can choose

You may well think that the choice of approaching an agent or publisher is academic before you have even finished your book but nothing is further from the truth. This short article discusses the pros and cons of agents and publishers - and which one you should go for. A decision that many writers put off for as long as possible seems to be the

There are two ways that the fiction writer can come to a stop at the end of their work and like most of the other elements that go into a work of fiction, both deserve careful consideration since using either the circular or linear ending determines how well the entire story or novel works. After the long and arduous process of writing the sto

Have you ever wondered, as you sit at your keyboard, if there are any secrets to successful novel writing? Well there are - and here are five of them. Remember these secrets and your novel writing will improve overnight! To call the points below 'secrets' is perhaps to invest them with too great an air of mystery, yet it seems that so many word

Peter Rabbit was a figment of the imagination of the very creative Beatrix Potter. The author was born in 1866 in Victorian Kensington London. Her home was large and sumptuous, her family rich. She was raised with several servants, a shy girl who wiled away many hours of every day by herself. Beatrix Potter learned many artistic things from her

Every week, editors and book agents, receive many first-time authors' manuscripts for review purposes. Some authors want them to read their manuscript and give them a complete written report while others simply want them to look at their manuscript and see if the possibility exists that they can help them to publish it as a book. Still others, w

During the twenty years I've taught writing, hundreds of students have expressed the belief that success and personal integrity are mutually exclusive. The Lifewriting™ approach to fiction suggests that not only do these two qualities overlap, but that the safest, surest, most satisfying path to discovering your true voice, your deepest creati

Many people take up writing as a hobby or as a more serious undertaking later in life - maybe even after what would be considered by many retirement age. This article looks at one way the older writer can compete with younger rivals on a level playing field. There you are, sitting looking at your finished book manuscript. It's probably taken at

The crazy world of publishing can be a scary and confusing place for a new book writer, and it can be nice to get a little bit of guidance on how to navigate around things like writer guidelines, publishing houses,literary agents, and such. While most first time book writers think the hard work was done once they typed the end at the bottom of the

Every good fiction editor knows that their job is based on how well the author that they are editing knows the fundamentals of good writing. That's not to say that every client you accept as a book editor should have the skills on par with a professional writer, but there are some fundamentals to good writing that should be constant throughout.

So what does it actually take to make it as a selling writer? And beyond that, what does it take to ride out the tough spots in a highly competitive field? These are questions I get asked on a regular basis from readers, as well as people who are just plain curious about someone who chooses to sit alone for hours at a time, creating characters

Everyone has plans to write the great American novel. In fact, most researchers believe that everyone has at least one great story inside them. However, you may be wondering, then if everyone has a great story, how can they get the story out? The key to getting the story out is to organize your thoughts with an outline and get busy writing. Soun

If you're an amateur writer, whether it be poetry, short stories, novels or essays, there's nothing like seeing your work in print or on the Internet to excite you and encourage you to continue your work. For many writers, the idea of making millions isn't the driving force behind their passion; instead, the practice of sharing ideas, perfecting a