I hear people on the Internet, especially on YouTube, say that their English teachers had told them that “Said is dead”, meaning, don’t use the word “said” when writing a novel or short story. I don’t remember my teachers saying that specifically, but they did insist that we use more “interesting” words to describe speech. … Continue reading Said is NOT dead
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No warmups – just write!
There is a lot of advice out there about preparing to sit down and write your book. Some people tell you to free write or journal beforehand. They say to just write about anything that comes to mind. I’ve sort of tried this and it’s okay. But I guess I didn’t love it, or I’d … Continue reading No warmups – just write!
Don’t fall for the free ISBNs!
You may be aware that for a lot of online book distributors, you don’t need an ISBN to publish your ebook. If you want to publish a print copy or an ebook with Apple’s iBooks, you need an ISBN. I think you should get an ISBN anyway, even if you don’t have to get one. … Continue reading Don’t fall for the free ISBNs!
How to write your book faster
There is lots of advice out there on how to write faster and be more productive. They tell us to be more organised before we sit down to write. Plan ahead. If you only have an hour a day, or even less, make sure that you know ahead of time what you need to write, … Continue reading How to write your book faster
Naming your chapters – my opinion
I’d like to give my opinion of giving your chapters names. I don’t think it’s wrong and that you should never do it, but I won’t do it in a full-length novel. And I’ll tell you a few reasons why. Firstly, it is difficult to do well and takes a lot of time and effort. … Continue reading Naming your chapters – my opinion
When books in a series aren’t clearly numbered
It happens with movies too, but more often, it is a problem with novels. It’s one of my pet hates. I never want to read a book series out of order. Or watch a movie series out of its order. One reason is because it’s hard to follow what’s going on. Another reason is because … Continue reading When books in a series aren’t clearly numbered
Software for writing – Why I don’t recommend Word to write your whole book
Most people that own a computer know how to use some kind of word processor, whether it is Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Apache Open Office, Polaris Office, or Libre Office Writer. I think probably the most used and most well-known would be Microsoft Word. That’s what I use. It is a good program and because … Continue reading Software for writing – Why I don’t recommend Word to write your whole book
Writing down your ideas – The importance of writing it down
I’ve heard people say that if you’re an author, you should always carry a notepad and pen with you wherever you go, just in case you get an idea. They say that if you don’t write it down straight away, you’ll forget it. And it will be gone. Forever. I totally agree. For most of … Continue reading Writing down your ideas – The importance of writing it down
Windows Basics – Icons vs Shortcuts
To be able to use your computer more effectively, you should be familiar with as many of its features as you can. This tutorial covers the basics of icons and shortcuts and is a continuation of the tutorial, Windows Basics – The Taskbar. Icons are small pictures that are used to represent a program or … Continue reading Windows Basics – Icons vs Shortcuts
Windows Basics – The Taskbar
To be able to use your computer more effectively, you should be familiar with as many of its features as you can. This tutorial covers the basics of the Taskbar and is a continuation of the tutorial, Windows Basics – The Start Button and Start Menu. The Taskbar is the bar that sits on the … Continue reading Windows Basics – The Taskbar
