the craft of writing Archives - Brockway Gatehouse ¦ Beta Reader & Book Blogger

4 Grammar Myths Busted!

Posted on 27/03/202320/03/2023 by Kim

In the world of proofreading, grammar myths abound. These are typically presented as ‘rules’.

Overzealous pedants may therefore try to correct things that are not actually mistakes. But skilled editors and proofreaders will only make changes when they are necessary.

To help you avoid falling into these grammatical traps, I’ll dispel some of the most pervasive myths in this post.

1. Never Split Infinitives

Telling people not to split infinitives is almost a cliché of pedantry.

But the rule against splitting infinitives is an invention of nineteenth-century grammarians based upon attempts to apply the rules of Latin to English. Modern grammarians do not stick by this rule at all.

In fact, sometimes, splitting an infinitive can boost clarity. For example, to stupidly go swimming clearly implies the decision is stupid since stupidly is right next to go.

In to go swimming stupidly, on the other hand, stupidly is closer to swimming than go, which might suggest that one is swimming in a stupid manner. So, even though this version avoids splitting the infinitive, it is less clear.

I’ll leave it up to you to picture what stupid swimming would involve.

2. Never Start A Sentence With A Conjunction

You should not start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction (i.e. for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so). But this is not held to be confirmed by any authoritative sources.

In practice, starting a sentence with a conjunction is common. It can even help emphasise the connection between two statements or enhance the flow of prose. For example:

You have a lot of potential as a proofreader. But everyone needs to practise!

So, while starting every sentence with a conjunction would be stylistically poor, never using a coordinating conjunction at the start of a sentence could detract from the flow and clarity of writing.

3. Never End Sentences With A Preposition

This is another case of mistakenly basing English usage on Latin. And while ending a sentence with a preposition can sound awkward, it is usually fine.

There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about: not being talked about.
(Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray)

Both clauses here end with the preposition about. To avoid this, we would need to rephrase to something like this:

There is only one thing in the world worse than being the subject of conversation, and that is not being the subject of conversation.

This is almost certainly a less memorable aphorism! And since the original makes perfect sense, changing the sentence to avoid ending on a preposition would be unhelpful.

4. Double Negatives Are Always Incorrect

The prohibition against double negatives is often overstated. You should correct non-standard double negatives (e.g. I saw nothing) if they are used in formal writing.

But these might be acceptable in less formal or literary contexts. And many double negatives are standard in most forms of writing, such as saying something is not uncommon to mean it is pretty typical:

It is not uncommon to find double negatives in a well-written document.

This usually depends on the document’s tone, so take care when correcting double negatives.

I hope you found this post about grammar myths useful and will no longer fear these all-too-often touted “rules”. The English language is a living, evolving thing that changes and develops as society changes.

If you have any writing dilemmas, I’m here to help. Get in touch.

6 Familiar Creative Struggles and how to conquer them!

Posted on 20/03/202319/03/2023 by Kim

Beginning your journey as a writer is new and exciting but it has it’s challenges too and learning how to conquer any creative struggles that will pop up is essential to a long author career.

Every author has faced obstacles in their writing lives—rejection, self-doubt, criticism, or something else. Doubts and imposter syndrome: “What if my novel isn’t good enough?” have plagued the best of them. When good writers read great books with complex characters and fantastic plot arcs—books so engrossing they can’t put them down—they compare their our novels to those bestselling books. “Why would someone read my story when that author’s book is much better?“

But that’s the thing. If you look at those authors, they’ve been writing for what—ten years? Now they have a publishing contract, an editor, beta readers, and others to support them in their work. But they had the same doubts and fears when they first started writing. They all faced struggles.

Today, let’s tackle those doubts, fears and struggles head-on.

STRUGGLE #1: YOU FEAR YOUR WORK ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH

You re-read your manuscript, and you think it’s lacking in everything. In fact, you think it’s just plain terrible. You’re about to throw it in the bin when…

Stop! Don’t throw it in the bin. Not yet. Let me tell you something. Is this your first novel? Okay, here’s the thing: Nearly every author’s first novel is terrible. You just started. I hate to break it to you, but your book will not be perfect on the first try. You have to revise.

Maybe it’s so bad you think it can’t be revised. That’s perfectly okay. Just sit down and work out what’s wrong with your novel.

Are your characters too clichéd?
Is your plot gripping?
Does the story hold the reader’s interest?

Target what’s wrong with your work, and make a plan to fix it.

Turn doubt into action.

STRUGGLE #2: YOU RUN INTO WRITER’S BLOCK

You’re stuck. You bang your head against the table, but no ideas come. Hey! Stop banging your head against the table, please. You’re going to give yourself a headache.

Okay, so you’ve run out of ideas.

What is your plot? Do you even have a plot? Think about what you’re writing. Are you writing a horror story? Fantasy? Romance? Sci-fi?

Do something that inspires you:

If you write horror, walk at night when it’s windy, and no stars shine through the clouds.
If you write fantasy, think about your hero. What is their goal? What keeps them from reaching that goal?
If you write romance, go to the park and people-watch. Observe a couple’s argument. What are they arguing about? Why are they arguing? Is it about something silly, like why all the pigeons are gathered around them, or something serious, like relationship issues?
If you write science fiction, consider science. You’re writing a book about clones taking over the world. Research cloning. How would it really work? What if there was some sort of mutation?

For all of the above, go somewhere that helps you get new ideas. Take a break from the computer (or notebook, if you write the old-fashioned way) and go on a walk or a drive. Go somewhere that makes you happy or sad or inspired. Go to a place that stirs strong emotions in you.

STRUGGLE #3: YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE INSPIRATION

You have a flash of inspiration. An image of a person, maybe, or an emotion you need to write about.

Figure out how you can work this into your story.

What was this person like? A long scar down her cheek? What was her personality like? Secretive, cold, standoffish? Would this be one of your secondary characters or a main character? When, where, and how can you put this in your story?

Write it down and determine where to use it in your novel.

STRUGGLE #4: YOU’RE NO LONGER FEELING INSPIRED

Your bolt of inspiration has fizzled out. Now you’re left with 30 pages of work that you don’t know what to do with. It’s okay. Don’t panic.

Try to work on your plot.

Figure out what’s going to happen next. Are your characters kidnapped? Do they have to figure out a puzzle?

It may help to consider how you’ll develop your characters instead.

What kind of journey does your character go on? How do they change throughout the story? What struggles do they have to overcome?

STRUGGLE #5: YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET STARTED

You have great ideas and are ready to start writing — but you have no idea how to draft your book’s beginning. This is something I can relate to. Let me give you some advice: You don’t need to start at the beginning. Wait, what? But when I read a book, the beginning comes first…

Well, duh. But you don’t need to start writing there. You can even write from end to beginning if that’s your preference.

My advice?

Start with the scene that energizes you the most. Excited about your story’s climax? Write that first. Don’t worry about the beginning. Start writing at the place or scene that calls to you.

Alternatively, take my free course: First Thing’s First. Let me help you get started.

STRUGGLE #6: YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE REJECTION

This is one of the biggest struggles!

Your novel is finished. You worked hard, poured your heart and soul into it, cried many tears, and were almost bald from pulling so much hair out from the stress. You send it to an agent. A month later, you get a form letter addressed to “dear writer.”

Take a deep breath.

I know you probably cried your eyes out at seeing that letter. I know it hurts. You may want to give up and never send your manuscript to another agent again. You’re hurting, and that’s okay. Go ahead. Cry your eyes out. There’s absolutely no shame in it..

Okay, now listen to me. No author gets it easy. Every author, including JK Rowling and James Patterson, has received rejection letters. I know one author who received 98 rejection letters before he became traditionally published. 98!

You must define where you went wrong if you receive a rejection letter. Was your query not enticing enough? Is your story’s hook lacking? Did the agent no longer want submissions for stories in your genre? If you can take action, do so. Allow rejection to refine your work.

Final word

Writing is hard. I think we’ve all learned this. If it were easy, everyone would do it. You’re different from other people, though. You may write to entertain people. That may be one of your reasons, but you write because you have a voice that others don’t. You can speak for those who can’t.

Every word you write, sentence, and paragraph can change people with what you write. You don’t have to write non-fiction to do that. You can inspire people. Your characters can be the ones readers turn to in times of struggle. And that, is what every writer strives to achieve. You’ll get there. You can get published. You just need to believe in yourself.

I’m here to help with any of your struggles, contact me.

What’s the difference between a writing coach and a mentor?

Posted on 27/02/202311/02/2023 by Kim

The difference between a writing coach and a mentor is a coach works with you for a particular purpose or goal. A mentor is a guru who is with you over an extended period in an advisory role. The relationship between coach and client is shorter-term versus longer-term mentoring relationships.

The confusion between coaching and mentoring

young annoyed female freelancer using laptop at home — Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

It’s all too easy to confuse coaching and mentoring. Both aim to help clients learn from their experiences to overcome difficulties or succeed in various areas of their lives. Those in the process want to improve, usually through setting goals or working towards new skills.

Both approaches also rely on regular interactions to make a change. Coaching/mentoring sessions are used to review progress, decide on the next steps and gain more insight into what else they could do and how. Without these regular meetings, it is unlikely that any progress would be made.

The exchange of knowledge is a fundamental feature of coaching and mentoring, with each situation having a “teacher” and “student” in some capacity. In mentoring, this knowledge transfer is more direct and may be directly related to the individual’s role. In coaching, the information and guidance focus on how to unlock potential, what processes can be used to achieve success, and how to understand your own strengths and weaknesses.

Finally, mentoring can often involve aspects of coaching and vice versa. A mentor may coach their “student” by making a suggestion that helps them improve their self-awareness and trigger personal development.

However, there are essential differences between coaching and mentoring.

pink jigsaw puzzle piece — Photo by Ann H on Pexels.com

The differences between mentoring and coaching make each more suitable for different situations.

Firstly, a writing coach provides guidance and an actionable framework for growth and development. A mentor, on the other hand, centres around building a relationship between two people. While individuals may have a good relationship with their coach, trust and understanding are at the core of a successful mentoring relationship. More time is often invested in ensuring that the mentor and mentee are happy to work together.

The mentor and mentee relationship may see the mentor’s connections being utilised. For example, to open more doors and provide opportunities for experience and networking, which tends not to be offered in a coaching relationship.

Often, coaching focuses on what can be done in the present, which is another significant difference. In contrast, mentoring looks to the future and decides what needs to be done later to achieve the mentee’s goals. Having said that, goal setting and overall aspirations are aspects of coaching. However, coaching focuses on improving your performance now to uncover potential while putting systems in place to allow you to be more successful in the future.

While every scenario varies, coaching tends to be a shorter process. It may only last until a coachee is thought to have improved and feels more prepared to carry on without additional support. On the other hand, a mentorship relationship is often a long-term arrangement. The mentor and mentee will keep in touch for check-ins and reviews, and the mentor may support their mentee’s entire journey.

Finally, a coach will often have more training and qualifications in techniques and approaches to coaching development under their belts than a mentor. They may even be expressly certified as a business or development coach. Mentors usually have more experience and knowledge of the industry they work in. However, they’re less likely to be certified to coach.

What is coaching?

two women sitting in front of computer monitor — Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com

Coaching is a developmental process focusing on improving performance and achieving goals. It measures what skills, tools, and resources are available and builds on these to enable progress and achievement.

At its core, coaching believes that individuals already have everything they need to achieve what they want. Coaching aims to reveal this potential and help the individual realise how to succeed. A coach highlights the existing tools instead of teaching them something new.

Coaching is also about helping an individual develop self-awareness. This is so that the coachee can realise their skills, work out what they want to achieve, and create realistic strategies for getting there. By the end of a coaching period, an individual will have a workable framework. They should also feel empowered and fully equipped to set and achieve goals without relying on someone else for support and guidance.

What is a writing coach?

A coach enables development by working with individuals to help them realise their potential and plan to achieve their goals. It is not a coach’s job to teach anything new or set out instructions about what needs to be done. Instead, a writing coach asks questions and provides a framework for individuals to find solutions to their challenges.

A coach is usually a trained professional who has studied and developed coaching practices and models. They are hired by individuals (or companies) to guide and reveal hidden abilities and aspirations, enabling reflection without offering direct instructions.

What can you expect in a coaching session?

A coaching session is a meeting between a client and a coach, where personal development is the main focus. The coach assesses the client’s current situation and suggests what needs to be revised to accomplish specific objectives. Coaches can’t tell you precisely what to do but may offer strategies to point you in the right direction. They will utilise coaching techniques in the tasks they set you.

A coaching session consists of objectives and activities the coach instructs the coachee to complete to achieve those specific goals. It’s not about sitting down and asking for someone else’s advice. It is about following through on those instructions so that you begin to see improvement in your personal and professional performance.

What is the difference between coaching and training?

I thought I’d deviate a moment to highlight the confusion between coaching and training.

Training is another method of learning that can easily be confused with coaching. However, an easy way to remember is that training involves acquiring new skills through transferring knowledge. In contrast, coaching builds on your skills and enhances your existing talents.

What is mentoring?

people sitting on the couch — Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Mentoring is another developmental process that relies more on the relationship between two people and the transfer of knowledge that comes from this. By pairing an individual with a more experienced peer, learning and development can occur more equally. A relationship of support and trust can be developed, leading to more meaningful progress.

Mentoring comes in many forms. Utilising the mentor’s experience and ability to pass on knowledge or starting from what the mentee can get from the relationship and what they hope to achieve. There doesn’t have to be a hierarchical difference in skill or experience in mentoring; sometimes, the mentor may be less qualified but possess skills that another may benefit from. The outcome of mentoring is to drive long-term growth and career development.

What is a mentor?

A mentor is a guide or supporter. They have extensive skills and experience and offer training and insight to someone at an earlier stage of their journey or right at the beginning.

The formality of a mentor’s role can vary based on what is appropriate for the situation. For example, companies create mentoring programmes between senior and junior employees. These programmes may have regularly organised meetings, structured systems of measuring improvement and a set timeframe. In contrast, other mentorship schemes may be more informal and about building supportive relationships.

What can you expect in a mentoring session?

Mentoring meetings are guiding conversations where your mentor will advise you rather than give hands-on instruction for you to follow. Mentors generally have already succeeded in the aspect of life you want guidance in. They’ll have more expertise and knowledge than you and share it during your sessions.

A mentoring session may focus on helping you improve your goal-setting skills. You can use the time to ask specific questions or for general advice. During a mentoring session, you’ll gain insights into life’s challenges and possibilities, such as career development, specific skill requirements, and business collaboration.

Writing coach or mentor, which is right for me?

photo of pathway surrounded by fir trees — Photo by James Wheeler on Pexels.com

Coaching and mentoring are instrumental ways to develop and learn. Many authors and business owners use both to support and enhance their growth.

A mentor gives advice and act like a role model by sharing helpful information over an extended period, while a business or writing coach enable you to take action with a framework. When seeking these services, look for information on their processes to make an educated decision about the support you require and what they give while working with them.

If you’re wondering if you’d benefit from utilising a coach or mentor, I can confirm that they’re incredibly beneficial strategies for everyone involved. Mentors and coaches can assist you in achieving your objectives.

Want a writing coach? Check out my coaching services.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Debate

Posted on 20/02/202311/02/2023 by Kim

AI is the biggest news story of 2023, causing impassioned debate in the creative community. (Listen to The Creative Penn podcast by author Joanna Penn or read her blog.)

Opinions can be polarised: on one side, you have a kind of utopian optimism (I, for one, welcome our robot overloads). And on the other extreme, apocalyptic doom-mongering.

I want to create a middle ground. I’m aware of the dangers and respect potential rights issues while accepting that AI is already here, whether we like it or not. I have to ask myself whether there is a safe and ethical way to use AI tools.

OpenAI‘s creation is Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT). And it’s the tool I’ve been playing with since hearing about it on Joanna’s podcast, hoping to make some marketing tasks more efficient rather than something more creative.

The explosion in popularity of ChatGPT has caught everyone by surprise. A few days ago, it passed 100m users—the fastest-growing consumer application in history.

For context: it took Instagram two years to reach 100m users. TikTok did it in 9 months, the pace of its growth throwing all the other social networks into a panicked redesign.

ChatGPT hit that milestone in 2 months!

man in black crew neck t shirt sitting beside woman in gray crew neck t shirt — Photo by Canva Studio on Pexels.com

Why is AI so controversial?

The depth of feeling on this issue is substantial. This is to be expected with any technological advancement which has the potential to be hugely disruptive. But it’s not just disruption which is causing concern.

As an editor and writing coach, I will not enter into the sea of societal and political concerns around AI. However, there are pressing issues speciﬁc to authors, artists, voice actors, etc., which I want to talk about.

Although I see the positive potential of AI, significant questions remain about how those Al models were trained:

Were creators’ work used without permission?
Were any rights infringed?
Plus, what is the legal status of work created with AI-powered tools?

Those questions have not been addressed adequately. Legal action has already been filed against Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, claiming that billions of images were scraped from the web without authorisation. (The first of many such steps, one would imagine.)

However, whether we like it or not—whether we’re ready or not—AI is already here.

They’re here.

AI is now being incorporated into Bing, and Google will follow shortly with its own version of AI-augmented search.

AI tools are now being incorporated in all sorts of other places, which will increase their usage exponentially. For example, WordPress announced that it is testing generative AI art blocks. This means that I’ll be able to effortlessly generate AI art by typing a description of the image I’m looking for right there in the back end of my WordPress site.

Change doesn’t wait for you to be ready. AI isn’t going to pause while everyone explores all the issues. The moral and legal issues around creators, rights, infringement, and the copyright status of anything made with these tools or the ramifications for society at large.

AI isn’t just here already—it’s about to go mainstream. And that’s going to make it impossible to ignore.

apple laptop notebook office — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Apple and AI Audiobooks

Tech giant, Apple announced last month that it would accept AI-generated audiobooks for the first time, something that most retailers like Audible don’t permit yet as I write this. Not only that, but Apple would provide AI narration tools to authors and publishers.

You can see why the idea is attractive to some: audiobooks can be expensive to produce (or require an incredible time investment if you make them yourself). Having AI narrate an audiobook would solve that problem neatly, significantly reducing the time and money needed to produce audio editions.

What worries me is the fate of some narrators. Voice actors are suddenly facing an existential threat of their own after finally seeing a viable and healthy audiobook market come into being. I’d be surprised if any real audiobook lovers welcome this development.

I’ve been told that some YouTube videos now seem to have AI narration. The quality is generally awful. Although it’s claimed that AI narration will soon be almost indistinguishable from human narration.

However, even if AI narration improves considerably, I doubt the quality could be as good as a human narrator. There’s more to narration than simply reading the text.

The worry is that once Apple has cut the narrators out, they’ll put the squeeze on authors next.

ChatGPT and Authors

What’s of most concern to authors is how AI might affect the future viability of their profession. The disruptive threat facing today’s narrators is just the beginning.

The most obvious concern is that authors could be replaced by a bunch of story bots chained up in the basement of Penguin Random House.

But after playing with Al a little, we’re still quite far away from it producing professional-grade creative work. Of course, given the pace of technological development, we can’t rule out an AI takeover in the future.

high angle photo of robot — Photo by Alex Knight on Pexels.com

My take on ChatGPT

I’m an independent woman, so even though there are genuine controversies around AI tools, I want to know a little more about how they work. This helps me understand the issues better.

I also want to see where all this AI stuff is headed. Work out how it might impact my business.

I’m no expert; if anything, I’m late to the party. But I’ve been playing around with ChatGPT recently and can see some potential in marketing terms. (I’m not using it for creative work at all.)

I heard it suggested that you shouldn’t think of ChatGPT as an expert-on-call, as the media often portrays it. A better approach is considering it a team of interns with boundless energy.

photo of women at the meeting — Photo by RF._.studio on Pexels.com

They often make mistakes, and you deﬁnitely have to check their work. Still, they can take much off your plate with clear parameters and constant supervision.

Here are some things I’ve been playing around with using ChatGPT.

• Taglines, product descriptions, and sales copy

• Social media text, captions, and headlines

• Newsletter subject lines

• Brainstorming/bullet pointing/outlining

Some of the stuff generated was useful, while others were terrible. However, I got better results when crafting more deliberate and detailed prompts. And I got the best results when I forced ChatGPT to refine its responses—one of the most impressive parts of this tech.

ChatGPT can give you an answer to whatever you ask. Still, you can interrogate it and force it to amend its responses based on more specific parameters. This process can lead you to the pot of gold you’re looking for.

person reaching out to a robot — Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com

The AI middle ground.

I hope I have eased some more fanciful concerns about AI replacing humans entirely. Creativity still needs a human mind—at this point, anyway. Al needs humans to input probing questions and analyse, interrogate, and curate the output. Humans will iterate the prompts and know when the true destination has been reached.

And then—most importantly—to execute the information generated.

We’re not obsolete quite yet!

Conscious Language: Q&A with Crystal Shelley

Posted on 19/09/202219/10/2022 by Kim

Words have Power

I don’t think any of us refute that statement. Words can empower and uplift people or isolate them and cause harm. My training as a teaching assistant taught me many useful skills. It also gave me valuable information about the use of inclusive language with children and young people.

However, this is such a large subject that I’ve invited a guest to answer a few questions about conscious language. Crystal Shelley is the owner of Rabbit with a Red Pen. She provides editing and authenticity reading services to fiction authors. I’ve heard Crystal speak about the importance of conscious language on podcasts and read her blog posts on the subject.

Hi Crystal and welcome to The BG Blog,

Q1. For anyone who doesn’t know, what is conscious language, and does it differ from gendered language and inclusive language?

Conscious language is a coin termed by a writer and editor named Karen Yin. She describes it as “language rooted in critical thinking and compassion, used skillfully in a specific context.” The goal of the conscious language approach is to consider how the writer’s intent can be best achieved based on the context of the piece, which might require questioning language and framing that is commonly used but possibly biased, harmful, or exclusive.

Inclusive language is similar, but the idea of critical assessment based on context and intent isn’t necessarily built into inclusive language. Gendered language refers to language that references gender, such as saying “mankind” or “ladies and gentlemen.” There’s been a push for gender-neutral language when the intent is to speak to a broader audience, regardless of gender, such as saying “humankind” or “folks.”

Q2. When did you first become aware of conscious language, and what drew you into championing it in the publishing industry?

I first became aware of conscious language in 2019 when I started my freelance editing business, but I’ve been conscious of my own language since what feels like forever. When I discovered Karen Yin’s website Conscious Style Guide, which is what started the conscious language movement, I found a name for what I’d been doing.

As an editor, I’m looking critically at the works I’m editing for anything that will make a reader pause, stumble, or stop reading. This includes when language or representation is potentially harmful. I believe it should be part of every editor’s job to look for these types of issues and to let the writer know about them so they can make informed choices for their work. That’s why I advocate for it in the publishing industry and created the Conscious Language Toolkits for Writers and for Editors.

Q3. What is sensitivity reading, and is authenticity reading the same thing?

Sensitivity reading, which I call authenticity reading for reasons outlined in an article I wrote, is a service that’s used when writers want feedback about an identity or experience they’re writing about from someone who has that identity or experience. It’s often used when the writer is writing outside of what they know. The reader can evaluate how the writer handled things—what’s done well, what’s inaccurate, and what might need to be adjusted. For example, if I’m writing a blind character but I’m not blind myself, I can hire an authenticity reader who’s blind to assess how well I represented what a blind person’s experience might be like.

Q4. What steps can writers take to ensure that they’re not inadvertently distorting their intended meaning? Or, worst-case scenario, offending their readers!

Learning about language is so critical, such as the origins of terms or phrases, how they’ve been used to harm or oppress groups, and what alternatives can be used instead. This can be a daunting undertaking, and the learning process is never-ending. There are tons of resources out there about language, and I recommend going to the source and learning from those who are directly affected by the language being used. (I list some resources below.)

Recognizing our unconscious biases is also an uncomfortable but necessary step in the learning process. Taking tests from Project Implicit can help reveal biases, and based on those results, you can seek out resources to learn more.

Asking someone to look at the writing and offer honest feedback can also be helpful. Ideally, this should be someone from your target audience.

Q5. Could you recommend 5 useful resources should my readers want to learn more about conscious language.

There are tons of resources out there, but here are some of the ones I recommend most often, in addition to Conscious Style Guide:

Crystal Shelley

Crystal Shelley is the owner of Rabbit with a Red Pen, where she provides editing and authenticity reading services to fiction authors. Drawing on her background as a social worker, she unites her love of language and her passion for social justice by advocating conscious language use and inclusive representation in her editorial work.

She is the creator of the Conscious Language Toolkits for Editors and Writers and serves on the board of ACES: The Society for Editing. When she’s not working with words, she’s probably swearing at a video game.

Connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

I hope that you enjoyed this post and found it as informative as I did. Ensure we are being as inclusive as possible when in conversation and in our writing. I love Crystal’s passion for the written word and her community spirit. She’s an editing treasure! 💙

Do you follow Crystal on any of her social media accounts? Please take a moment to visit her blog, Rabbit with a Red Pen like, follow and comment on a few posts.

For more helpful resources about the craft of writing, check out my Resource Library.

Ultimate First Draft Checklist: Secrets to Bestseller Success

Posted on 15/08/202207/08/2022 by Kim

Are you in the process of writing your first novel? Have you taken part in NaNoWriMo this year? Do you have a first draft written and ready for the next stage?

🎉That’s fabulous! 🎉 You’re at the perfect stage to take advantage of my Ultimate First Draft Checklist

👇 Keep Reading

You’re a new writer wanting to get your story published. I understand how overwhelming it is to have so many answers available at the end of a google search. There are a never-ending supply of people offering new writers and indie authors advice about what the rules of the wordsmith are. Some even seem to contradict one another!

confused young ethnic female having video conversation on mobile phone at home — Photo by Alex Green on Pexels.com

And that’s the thing, as a qualified editor myself and self-confessed bookworm, I’ve learned that these often touted rules are in fact only guidelines and opinions; they shouldn’t be followed blindly.

What’s next?

I wrote a post showing you the 4 steps to do After You’ve Written a Book and what tasks can be left for now. With that in mind, my Ultimate First Draft Checklist should be used when you assess your manuscript in step 2.

Before you jump into editing mode, read your book from start to finish. This is the second step in gaining perspective on your book. While it is time-consuming, it’ll save you countless hours in the long run because you’ll see exactly what you need to work on for your next draft.

As you read, ask yourself the following questions and take notes about what you find:

What’s missing?
What isn’t needed?
Which bits need rewriting?

In my Ultimate First Draft Checklist, I cover the 6 core aspects of any story:

Opening Scene/First Chapter
Characters and Dialogue
Plot and Conflict
Flow and Pacing
Setting and World-building
Writing Style

The questions on my checklist ultimately get you to answer the big question: Is my manuscript a best seller?

I understand that this step can be both exciting and a little terrifying. But I promise you, it is worth it!

…are you ready?

Receive my Ultimate First Draft Checklist now and start honing your story today!

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For more helpful resources about the craft of writing, check out my Resource Library.

3 Reasons To Ask For Reader Feedback

Posted on 25/07/202219/09/2022 by Kim

Today, I want to talk about reader feedback and reviews.

Your career as an author will make more money if your readers are happier. It’s not rocket science. But how do you keep your readers happy? How do you even know what they like or dislike about your books?

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Ask them.

I’m not talking about the reviews that readers post on retail sites after reading one of your books. Yes, these reviews are an important part of the sales algorithm, but it’s the reader feedback from your VIP readers, your mailing list, and Facebook groups that I’m focusing on today.

Check out my post about how book reviews on retail sites boost sales.

Asking for feedback can provide extremely valuable insight for your writing process as well as book sales. It’s common practice that businesses send out short surveys to customers asking for their feedback. Yes, both positive and negative is equally helpful. As an author, you ARE the business!

Feedback from your VIP list about your books can directly influence what changes you make, what traits you want to use more, and what elements need to stay exactly the same. You’ll have your finger on the pulse of what makes your target audience tick. This reader feedback is invaluable, and it doesn’t cost you anything to get.

Here are three reasons you should ask for reader feedback.

1. Learn what your readers like and don’t like

3 Reasons to ask for Reader Feedback - Learn what your readers like and don't like

When you ask your readers to give you feedback, be it your books, series or future ideas, you’re going to learn what they like and don’t like. This information is extremely useful. If you know what’s working for your readers and what isn’t, you can tweak things to better serve them. For example, if you find out that there’s a particular side character that fans love and connect to, you could open up a whole new spin-off book/series with them as the protagonist.

2. Make readers feel important and involved

3 Reasons to ask for Reader Feedback - Readers feel important and involved

By asking for your VIP readers on your email list or in your Facebook group to provide you with feedback, you’re letting them know that you value their opinion, and you care about what they have to say. This builds loyalty and makes your readers feel important because you’re treating them as such—they feel involved in shaping your books.

3. Constantly improving your craft

3 Reasons to ask for Reader Feedback - Comstantly improving your craft

You can consistently improve your books and keep them being the best they can be. If you’re consistently listening and seeking feedback, you always have a pulse on what’s working for your readers and what’s not. Ultimately, this will lead to better business, better sales, and a better reader experience (which starts the loop all over again!).

Are you ready for feedback about your stories and writing style?

There’s a lot to be gained from getting reader feedback and absolutely nothing to lose. All you have to do is ask!

No VIP readers or suitable email list? Read these helpful articles written by David Gaughran. https://davidgaughran.com/tag/email-for-authors/

Are you’re looking for someone to read your book and give you honest feedback? Check out my beta read or assessment services and get in touch!

Secret to Bestseller Success for Indie Authors

Posted on 27/06/202207/08/2022 by Kim

Do you know what the Secret to Bestseller Success for Indie Authors is? Have you ever wondered how one self-publishing author manages to write their books so successfully over another? 🤔 Well ponder no longer, dear writer, for I know one of their secrets and I’m going to share it with you today. 🤫

The indie author field has blossomed.

With the explosion of the self-publishing revolution, more and more of us are getting our stories out there. Trouble is, there are a growing number of helpful writing guides out there too. Each guide telling you the rules and how you should write!

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I understand how overwhelming it is to have so many answers available at the end of a google search. Many so-called rules of writing seem to contradict one another! It extremely frustrating. 🤷‍♂️ And that’s the thing, as a qualified editor myself, I’ve learned that these frequently quoted rules are actually more like guidelines and shouldn’t be followed blindly.

Language guidelines were (and still are) created to help readers understand the text they’re reading; following these guides should help bring clarity to a piece of writing not stamp out an author’s voice. Good editors understand this and pass that on to their clients.

So, here’s the secret to bestseller success…

…are you ready?

Hone your own author voice and create your own style guide!

Simple, isn’t it?!

With your own style guide, everything in your book will be clear and consistent. For example:

✅ When you write a character’s name, it will be spelled the same way through the story.

✅ When one of your characters is sharing their thoughts with the reader, it will be formatted identically each time. It becomes easier to distinguish from the spoken dialogue.

You get the gist.

I’m not saying abandon all spelling, punctuation, and grammar conventions, 😘 instead work with your editor to find the styles that fit with you, your stories, and your readers.

I collaborate with my author clients to create a style guide for their books as part of the editing process.

“After bathing in a sea of vaguely conflicting advice online regarding punctuation, I emerged with one clear message: there are no Actual Laws in force.” (—Author Holly Bell)

The good thing is, once you’ve got all these little “styles” agreed, it’s makes things easier in the future — for both you and your editor.

Start creating your style guide today and enjoy some bestseller success as an indie author yourself!

From now until 27th August 2022, I’m giving away How to create your Author Style Guide. My guide also comes with a free template. Start your new stress-free writing today!

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6 Levels of Editing: How to Choose the Right One for Your Book

Posted on 20/06/202220/06/2022 by Kim

As a fiction editor, one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, Do I have to get my book proofread? Proofreading is the final stage in the publishing process before that “publish” button is hit. There’s a lot of confusion out there about what editing and proofreading are. It doesn’t help that the language used in our industry muddies rather than clarifying the differences. Did you know that there are five levels of editing before getting to the final proofreading stage? No? I’m not surprised. In this article, I’m going to show you the six levels of editing and help you to chose the right one for your book.

First, a Bit of Background Information

the chronicles of narnia book — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Before self-publishing exploded and transformed the book industry, most titles were published using one of the traditional routes.

You signed on with an agent who sold your book to a publisher or
You worked directly with a publisher

Either way, your book was in the hands of your publisher. They took care of everything in-house—editing, design, formatting, proofreading, marketing, and distribution!

These days, the publishing process has opened and become more transparent. There are talented individuals offering freelance services that the big publishing companies do in-house. This means that as an author wanting to self-publish your book, you have access to the same processes as the big players in the marketplace.

As the owner of a fiction editing business, today, I’m going to cover the different types of services available and the levels of editing involved.

Book Editing: What Services Are Available, and Which One Would Most Help Your Book?

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Anyone who has typed in this or a similar question into a search engine, will know that there isn’t a one-fits-all answer. The definition of “edit a book” varies depending on which author or editor you’re asking!

There are three stages to getting a book ready to be published:

Structural. This stage looks at the big-picture; developing your idea into a publishable story and the techniques used to tell it.
Mechanical. This stage looks at the creativity and technical correctness of the writing.
Proofreading. The third round will be the final check.

Therefore, one of the first questions I ask is,

“Has anyone other than your family or friends read your book and given you feedback?”

If the answer is no, then I’d recommend starting with a big-picture assessment before looking too closely and trying to fix any of the small technical stuff like grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

There are three of these big-picture services to choose from:

a beta read,
a manuscript critique and
a developmental edit.

🏆 Top Tip: Beta reading and critiques can come either before or after a developmental edit.

1) Beta Read

Brockway Gatehouse Services - Beta Reading (1)

A beta read, sometimes called an alpha read, is when your manuscript is carefully read, and you receive feedback in the form of an in-depth review of your story from a reader’s perspective.

Having your manuscript beta read is an effective way to gauge the potential reaction from your target audience. A beta reader will let you know if your book fits with the genre, is conveying the right message, and is an enjoyable read.

Beta reads can be carried out by sharing your manuscript with a writing group or workshop; however, it could take six months to a year to get actionable feedback. When you hire an editor, like myself, to beta read your manuscript, you’ll not only save time, but you’ll also get professional feedback from an expert who knows your genre (for example, cosy mystery or romance) and the publishing business.

I offer a quality beta reading service. Want me to beta read your novel? Get in touch!

2) Manuscript Critique

Brockway Gatehouse Services - Manuscript Critique (3)

A manuscript critique is also sometimes called a manuscript assessment. A critique or assessment is when your manuscript is read thoroughly and you receive an in-depth report on its content. In the report, you’ll find out what is and isn’t working and receive suggestions on how to fix it.

All the essential elements of your story should be coved in the report: the opening, structure, plot, voice, style, characterisation, dialogue, and ending. Therefore, a constructive report is usually between five and ten pages long.

One of the benefits of requesting a critique from an editor is the timescale factor. Depending on the word count and the editor’s availability, it could only take two to three weeks to get the critique report.

When you hire an editor, they’re going to focus their attention on your story and do their best to help you improve your book. You’ll not only save time, buy you’ll also get professional feedback from an expert who knows your genre (for example, cosy mystery or romance) and has insights in the publishing business.

One of the advantages of hiring me to critique your manuscript, is that I also include my “reader reactions” as in-line comments. You’ll know such things as when I cried and which scenes made me laugh while I was reading your story.

3) Levels of Editing: Developmental Editing

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The next level up from the manuscript critique is the developmental edit, sometimes called structural editing. It’s still a big-picture edit but much more involved. A colleague of mine

“If you’re a completely novice writer, this is the first manuscript you’ve ever completed, you’ve never been published, you’ve never studied creative writing (taken a class or an online writing course, or read any books or blogs on the craft of writing) and you’ve never belonged to a writing group – don’t pay for any editorial service. You’re probably not ready for it yet.” (Sophie Payle “Where is Your Budget for Book Editing Best Spent…” Liminal Pages)

A good developmental editor, like Sophie, will work with you. Words and sentences are going to be crossed out or re-arranged, they’ll ask probing questions, make suggestions, move whole sections around, or if you’re lucky, simply say, “Great job, well done.” This level of detail is worth its weight in gold for a new writer.

Why? Because a common element of manuscript critiques and developmental edits is coaching. A good editor will include tips on revising, suggestion related to the craft of writing, and an assessment of your book’s marketability.

My Manuscript Has Had a “Big-picture” Level Edit/Assessment, What’s Next?

The next stage is to look at the mechanics of your manuscript. Which brings me to the next two types of editing, line editing and copy editing.

4) Levels of Editing: Line Editing

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As the name suggests, line editing is when an editor looks at every single sentence in your book and decides if it belongs and reads well.

During a line edit, not only will an editor find and fix any problems, but they’ll also be on the lookout for purple prose (too elaborate or ornate, flowery language) and suggest ways you can revise and improve your words, sentences, or whole paragraphs.

The purpose of a line edit is to ensure that each sentence in your book is not only crucial and keeps your reader reading but uses fresh and appropriate language for your target audience. A good editor will tweak any awkward sentences, advise you on being too long-winded, highlight overused words and phrases, and inconsistent verb tenses.

So, what is the difference between copyediting and line editing? Is proofreading the same thing?

These are excellent questions. Let me cover that next.

5) Levels of Editing: Copy Editing

Brockway Gatehouse Services - Copy Editing (1)

When it comes to writing, there’s an artistic aspect and a mechanical aspect. Copyediting focuses on the mechanical aspect of your writing (the nuts and bolts of spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc). Your editor will be asking questions like, Is this sentence grammatically correct? Is there a comma missing? Should this compound word be hyphenated? Are Flora’s eyes blue or green? How many islands are there in the Scottish Hebrides?

A professional copyeditor will have undertaken years of study and practice and be trained in various style manuals, such as The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), The Associated Press Stylebook (AP style), The MLA Handbook from the Modern Language Association of America (MLA style). Fiction writing is less rule bound than journalism or academia, however, fiction editors also refer to style guides such as New Hart’s Rules: The Oxford Style Guide and the Conscious Style Guide to ensure their client’s work is consistent and in line with current publishing standards.

Copy editing is a required step whether you’re self-publishing or taking the traditional publishing route. Copyediting is what transforms your book from sloppy to polished.

However, be aware that one round of copyediting is not enough to catch all the errors. In fact, The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading says:

“A good copyeditor picks up 80% of errors; a good proofreader picks up 80% of what’s left.“

So, how is copyediting different from proofreading? Aren’t they the same thing? Well, the answer is, not quite.

6) Levels of Editing: Proofreading

Brockway Gatehouse Services - Proofreading (1)

Your book is proofread after it’s been formatted in a book design program, such as Adobe InDesign, Affinity Publisher, or QuarkXPress. Now your book has a fantastic title page, copyright page, dedication page, table of contents, a stunning book cover, and is almost ready for publication.

But book design, also called typesetting, is not a fool proof process. Errors created during the formatting process can slip in. Plus, there could be the odd remaining error that the copyeditor missed or that you accidentally added when you made last-minute changes to your book (it’s now or never, right?).

A professional proofreader will give your book a final line-by-line, word-by-word check to catch any remaining errors, formatting issues such as bad breaks (a break in a paragraph, sentence or word that looks wrong or doesn’t make sense), missing page numbers, and so on.

What I Recommend for Your Book

All the big five publishing houses utilise these six levels of editing to get a book in publishable shape. If you’ve already got a publisher, fantastic! You can sit back and work on your next book.

However, if you’re self-publishing, I strongly recommend that you hire professionals to help you. In addition to being an author, you’re now also a publisher.

🏆Top Tip: If funds are limited, make friends with writers and exchange work with them.

Don’t rush the publishing process; take time to revise and get it right. I recommend printing out your pages and read them aloud to yourself. Listen to your book being read back to you (using a PDF-to-speech app or MS Word Read Aloud function). It’s amazing what your ears can pick up that your eyes miss. After all, the more you catch the less work a professional has to do which means a smaller fee.

And finally, remember that creating a book is a collaborative process. You’re not alone. We’re all in this together because stories matter. Your story matters.

Thank you for reading 6 Levels of Editing: How to Choose the Right One for Your Book. Please feel free to use the share buttons to pass this article on to your friends and colleagues.

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SPaG: Affect or Effect – 3 tricks to remember which to use💡

Posted on 16/05/202202/05/2022 by Kim

Hello, welcome back. Do you struggle to know whether to use “affect” or “effect” in your writing? Are you tired of giving up and using “impact” instead?

Woohoo! Fantastic! I can help with that because today, I’m going to let you into a few of my teaching trade secrets about those pesky words. Is it affect or effect? After reading this post, you won’t have to ask that question again.

hispanic girl whispering secret on ear of friend — Photo by Eren Li on Pexels.com

Here in the UK, even as native English speakers, mixing up affect and effect is commonplace. They’re different parts of speech, but they sound almost identical. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Bear and bare, here and hear, and write and right are other examples of homophones that cause headaches to writers of all ages. During my years in the education sector, I’ve collected quite a few handy mnemonics related to spelling and grammar. Today, I’m sharing some affect vs effect handy helpers with you.

How do I remember the difference between affect and effect?

Getting the meaning behind each word cemented in your mind is vital. Having that knowledge will give you the confidence to use affect and effect correctly.

➡️Effect

Effect is usually a verb that means to cause change but when effect is a noun, it means the results of a change. For example:

The effect of climate change is worldwide. Climate change may benefit some plants by lengthening growing seasons and increasing carbon dioxide. Other effects of a warmer world, such as more pests, droughts, and flooding, are more severe.

If you’re discussing the final result of action then you can use ‘effect’. By using this simple rule, you can remember that ‘effect’ represents the end, as they both start with ‘e’. Think end, think E!

➡️Affect

Affect, on the other hand, is usually a verb and means to influence or to produce a change in something.

Gravity affects everything in the universe, but the amount of gravity affecting an object depends on two things: the masses of the objects being attracted and the distance between the objects.

Another handy mnemonic device to help you remember when to use affect in a sentence is Think A is for action!

You may also come across it used as a noun. Affect can be used to mean the facial expressions, gestures, postures, vocal intonations, etc., that typically accompany an emotion as well as the conscious emotion that occurs in reaction to a thought or experience.

His facial expressions were diminished and presented a flat affect.

💡Affect Pronunciation Hint:

When affect is a verb, the second syllable is emphasized = uh-FEKT
When affect is a noun, the first syllable is emphasized = AH-fekt

However, as with many words in the English language, using affect as a noun in this way is now only really used in psychology.

⭐3 simple tricks for remembering the differences ⭐

1. “A” comes before “E“ in the alphabet. The “A“ stands for the action that affects and comes before the effect. Think cause followed by effect.

2. If you can replace the word with influence, then you should probably use affect.

If you can replace the word with result, you should probably use effect.

3. You can put that altogether by remembering RAVEN:

R – Remember
A – Affect is a
V – Verb and
E – Effect is a
N – Noun

Infographic - SPaG Affect or Effect - 3 handy tricks to remember which to use in your writing

My final bit of advice about this and other mix-ups

English, like many other languages, has its own set of tricky rules and intricacies. We may not like it, but it is what it is. However, don’t give up.

With a little bit of practice and help from guides like this one, you can become a grammar master. Jotting down the things that repeatedly catch you out, as I suggested in my post about spelling mistakes, is a great way to retrain your brain.

I hope you found this post about affect and effect helpful. Are there any other bits of the English language that you struggle with? Drop me a comment below so that I can feature the solution in my next grammar post.

Until next time,