Beta readers – who are they, and do you need them?
Find out what beta readers are, what they do, and how they might benefit your work in progress.
Working with an editor – how to make the most of the experience
It can be a nerve-wracking experience working with an editor, particularly if it’s your first time. It has undertones of being back in school, handing in your homework and waiting nervously for the teacher to get out their red pen! There really is no need to worry, though. Professional editors …
Using song lyrics in your book
Does ‘San Francisco’ by Scott McKenzie transport you to the summer of love, complete with flowers in your hair? Or maybe ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls sends you straight back to evenings in the uni bar? Nothing taps into our past quite like a song. While certain tunes will be linked to our own personal memories, songs in general can be extremely effective in evoking a sense of time or place, and that can make them irresistible to a writer.
Publishing Options
Not every writer has the same goal. Some want to see their books become bestsellers, some feel they have an important story to tell, while others are just excited about the experience of being published. All are equally valid.
Try to work out what you think you might want from publishing your book. Hopefully then you’ll be able to work out which way you want to go.
Lay or lie? It’s easy to mix these up
Ever find yourself pausing to work out whether you should be using lay or lie? They’re commonly mixed up, and the fact that the past tense of lie is lay doesn’t make it any easier! All of us have words we’re not sure about, or that we have to check …
Is it whiskey or whisky?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! If you’re raising a glass to the patron saint of Ireland, you ought to make it whiskey rather than whisky. Why? Well, the short answer is that ‘whiskey’ refers to the spirit distilled in Ireland, whereas ‘whisky’ comes from Scotland. It’s not quite that straightforward, though. …
Free access to the Oxford English Dictionary
As a writer, you’re bound to refer to dictionaries pretty often. Would free access to the Oxford English Dictionary online be useful to you? The world moves fast, and words are no exception. It’s not always easy to keep up with new meanings or spellings. I love having a selection …