Lemon Tart

As someone plagued with innate insecurities, reasonable and unreasonable anxieties, and not a lot of money in the pot to fall back on, becoming a freelance may seem an odd work choice. So, let me pull back slightly and give you the fuller picture: I don’t see it as a work choice – more of a lifestyle decision.   Many years ago, when my two children were small and I was bringing them up singlehandedly, what I needed

If you want your copy to stand up to scrutiny, it's more than the spelling, punctuation and grammar that need your attention. As vital as these aspects are, there's another area that must be picked through with all the precision of a five-star pedant: consistency.   If your work is for traditional-route publication, it will be tinkered with to suit publisher house style, but it's important that your typescript is consistent in the first place

If you’re an author planning to self-publish (or indeed submit your writing to an agent or conventional publisher), the editorial work your book will require is a part of the process. To obtain quotes from freelance editorial service providers (and there are many of us out there), you might first approach a few with the word count of your book and the subject/genre. It’s helpful if you can also send (via email is fine

When it's got to look good – when it needs to look just right (and, let's face it, when doesn't it?) – the best thing any writer can do is to sign up a professional proofreader. The proofreader's job is to make a thorough sweep of the writer's copy, picking up anything that needs correction.   And proofreading isn't just a service for book authors. From corporate literature to blogs to websites, content is

I think I’ve turned into a language snob.   I love language. I love its forms. I love the way we can use it not just to communicate the everyday; with language, we can create the fantastical. We can take each other to far flung places, real and imaginary. We can ignite passions and inspire dreams. With words, we can enable escape.   Language that’s beautifully crafted, where words fit together in a seamless flow is

As a freelance editorial type, this is something I often ask myself.   Is it normal, for instance, to wake up in the night and remember you need to double-check the use of a capital letter in the proofreading project you're currently working on? Is it normal to lie awake, wondering how on earth you're going to juggle all the editorial jobs you've said, 'Yes', 'Yes' and 'Yes' to, because to turn any of them down

Inspiration has a way of batting its eyelids in the most unlikely of places.   A boot print in mud, for example. Once you get beyond the obvious (that someone somewhere is walking around with one muddy boot), that lone print could be the springboard for creating a chilling crime novel. Much as a snail's trail, simply slimy in daylight (and let's hope the little blighter isn't heading for my lettuces), is silvered under a full moon

When you think of a proofreader, what springs to mind? Is it:   (a) a rather Dickensian-looking individual with glasses perched on nose, hunched over paper or screen whilst ferreting through copy in the eager anticipation of errors they can mark up with unrestrained glee? Or   (b) a more laid-back approach, the reader sprawled on a sofa and lazily digesting the latest project to arrive in their inbox, along with a large box of Celebrations? Or  

How about a spot of debate? No, no, nothing heavy. I'm writing this late on a Friday afternoon and the heaviest thing I'm in the mood for is a large slice of warm chocolate fudge cake, topped with a melt-in-the-mouth dollop of vanilla-infused ice cream. So I'm not suggesting anything political, social or even vaguely spiritual. I'm talking ... wait for it ... adverbs.   Yes, I know, but as you may or may

I'm a home-worker and I love it. Although it actually came about through necessity. As a single parent of a young family of two, I needed a way to combine my role as a full-on mum-type person with keeping the roof over our heads. (I've since discovered that's the reason many of us start.)   More than ten years on, and my children are fully grown. But I'm still a home-worker and

Christmas recedes alarmingly quickly. Doesn't it? I mean, considering the weeks (more likely months) of preparation lavished upon it. The New Year is barely into its stride before we're forging ahead once more, with barely a backward glance.   Tucked away in my wordy garret, I'm already seeing January unroll some interesting, wonderful and all-round unexpected projects - along with some rather exciting news. One of my books for children, Topz Gospels - Matthew, has been shortlisted