I am in awe of people who can write a novel. It is no simple task to write that many words – let alone tell a compelling, well-written story. And it certainly isn’t always easy to commence writing your novel either. Even for the most experienced writers, writing a novel is no … [Read more...] about Novel Writing: Getting started
Self Publishing
Writing a Cover Letter
When I wrote my article on Writing a Synopsis, I mentioned that it was one of the most challenging tasks for authors. The cover letter (otherwise known as a Query Letter), by comparison, should actually be pretty simple. The main aim of your cover letter is to give the … [Read more...] about Writing a Cover Letter
Show, Don’t Tell
If you've ever received an appraisal from The Manuscript Agency, in all likelihood we would've talked about ‘showing, not telling’ at some point in the report. It’s not because we like repeating ourselves, or regurgitating information to make our lives easier – it’s because … [Read more...] about Show, Don’t Tell
Author interview with action/thriller writer Keith McArdle
We took a moment to chat with Keith McArdle; author and sometime MAA client. We wanted to know a little more about his life as a writer; how he writes, what he writes and what drives him. He was kind enough to take the time to tell us all about it… Can you tell us a little bit … [Read more...] about Author interview with action/thriller writer Keith McArdle
Editing Part 1 – What is editing?
Editing is a job that is mostly misrepresented and overwhelmingly misunderstood. Behind most great works of literature is a dedicated editor. As an editor one of the most frustrating misconceptions about our role is that we simply fix spelling and punctuation errors. In fact, … [Read more...] about Editing Part 1 – What is editing?