I was sending a text to someone the other day, and it got me thinking. This person had let me down and I was feeling a little put out, but not enough to be harbouring any resentment. She texted, "Are we all OK?", in response to which I sent back the word "Yep." At least,…
Me and my big mouth
It's interesting what you do if you just have to. I've been having some ongoing shoulder issues, so I've been learning some hard lessons about slowing down and adjusting my work habits. I won't bore you with the details, but I had a steroid injection in my right shoulder on Monday and I'm having to rest it…
Ten tips to beat writer’s block
This is an extension of my last post (Writing tips: come and get 'em). It repeats some of the tips, but I've added five more, and some other new stuff. Keep reading. "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." -…
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.…
A trio of poems
In honour of World Poetry Day (which was actually yesterday), I thought I would re-publish three of my own poems - poems that are dear to me in very different ways. The first I wrote for my daughter, the most precious thing in my life. It tries to capture those moments in the wee small hours…
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…
Employing a Professional Proofreader
This is an article I wrote for NZ Business and Management Magazine. It's in the November issue, which is out now. You’re a business that prides itself on communicating effectively to its clients and prospects. You produce brochures, flyers and other written marketing material. Your website is a major component of your communications plan. Your company produces…
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…
Love After Love
This poem has always meant a great deal to me. Everyone will have their own interpretation, but for me it speaks of false self and real self; relinquishing the former and finally, joyfully, discovering the latter. Its author, Derek Walcott, was born in Saint Lucia in the West Indies in 1930. He won the Nobel Prize in…
Patricia Bell, Author 