So I have a gripe. A grammarian gripe, if you will. A punctuation protestation. I'm pissed off. I'm aghast. I'm fed up. I'm THIS CLOSE to giving an unsuspecting passer-by a good slap. And you, lucky readers, are about to hear all about it. Read that sentence again. Take particular note of the plural: readers.…
Writing small
I posted this wonderful quote on my Instagram account today. (bellbirdwords). This is so important, and it's an issue I help many of my clients with. It's closely related to the "show, don't tell" rule; another vital principle of good writing that I'm often reiterating to beginner writers. It's tempting to think you have to…
Writing tips: come and get ’em
I've just added a new string to my bow: as part of my business I now offer a Writing Advice service as well as proofreading, editing and writing assistance. Check out the services I offer here. This came about because in the course of proofreading and editing book manuscripts and other documents, I found I was spending…
Show, don’t tell
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” This quote by Chekhov may be familiar to some of you. It encapsulates perfectly one of the rules of good fiction writing: Show, don’t tell. Even my eight-year-old daughter knows what it means – they’re taught it at school.…
Show Business for Shy People
Lee Child once said that "writing is show business for shy people". This quote resonates with me, particularly at the moment, as I am performing in The Phantom of the Opera at the famous Civic Theatre in Auckland. I've been doing musical theatre for many years, but a year or two ago I pulled back from…
The Book Exchange
I’ve achieved some rather major literary goals this year, and last night I celebrated with two lovely women. There's me in the middle. (Those holes in my top are a design feature, not a result of drunken undressing in the dark. I wish.) On the right is Joanna, and to the left is Sara: the…
How to Avoid Huge Ships
I want to share with you a marvellous book I was gifted earlier this year. I'm the first to admit I am a little anally retentive. That's one of the reasons being a proofreader is the perfect profession for me - I love finding mistakes and correcting them. (Friends and acquaintances reading this: you may now scrape…
Why good grammar matters
“Sticklers Unite!” is the rallying cry from Lynne Truss in her #1 New York Times bestseller for grammar nerds, Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. I’m a stickler and proud of it. And not a closeted one, either. My profession—proofreader, editor and writer—is just a tiny giveaway, for a start. Then…
What Makes a Good Proofreader?
I wrote this article for New Zealand Author, the official publication of the New Zealand Society of Authors. It was published last week. You have drafted and redrafted. You may have had some or all of your manuscript assessed. Finally, with relief and incredulity, you have typed The End and poured yourself a glass of…
A New Name
Dear followers, likers and hangers-on: Just a short post to let you know that I have changed the name of this blog. Previously known as bellbirdwords, it is now called thebellbirdblog. I have just launched my own freelance proofreading, editing and writing business, and I have called it Bellbird Words. This blog, my Facebook page (Bellbird Words) and…
Patricia Bell, Author 