Defuse or Diffuse the Situation?
Native speakers often learn phrases by ear before they learn the written words that comprise them. Even if you’re not sure which word and spelling is correct in the phrase, you’ve probably heard news...
Category: The Editing Cycle
The Editing Cycle #13 A Beginner’s Guide to Plot
‘The desire of gold is not for gold. It is for the means of freedom and benefit.’ ~Ralph Waldo Emerson A Desire to Plot Last week I was talking to a friend about...
The Editing Cycle #12 – We Can’t All Be Batman
“I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.” ~Batman We Can’t All Be Batman In this week’s edition of The Editing Cycle, we take a closer look at the boundary between learning or copying...
The Editing Cycle #11 – Bake a Cake
Bake a Cake Some of you might think it was very naughty of me not to write anything for last week’s session, but was it? Or was I preparing for a lesson that...
The Editing Cycle #10 – Top Ten Tips for Editing
Editing can be overwhelming, but here are my top ten tips to help break the process down.
The Editing Cycle #9 – Strengths and Weaknesses
A master swordsman does not choose to fight with a bow, unless he is a fool. Strengths and Weaknesses This week I want to know all of your strengths and weaknesses and you’re going...
The Editing Cycle #8 – Objects of Power and the Power of Objects
“It’s not the size of the gun that counts, it’s the amount of ammo.” What are Objects of Power? Objects of power can be anything from a magic sword to a household cup. It...
The Editing Cycle #7 – Writing with Dr Seuss and Neil Gaiman
That feeling you get when you’re reading a book which someone else writ and you think what it took.
The Editing Cycle #6 – Plot Your Way
Plotting your novel is a very personal task and nobody can tell you how to do it, but in this week’s session, we’re going to explore an old favourite: the road map. We’ll be...
The Editing Cycle #5 – Character Dialogue
There’s a lot to be said about dialogue. Perhaps a year, or ten from now, a revolutionary author will come along and present us with a book that has no spoken word, no vernacular...
