“Do not ask for what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and do it. For what the world needs is people who are fully alive.”-Howard Thurman 'But you're not thinking like an entrepreneur!' This was a (well-intentioned) observation made to a friend of mine recently. He had shared with a group of…
Welcome to my new website
I've had a facelift! Welcome to my refreshed website, with a giant photo of me on it. (I paid a professional for that photo shoot, so I'm jolly well going to plaster the results wherever I can.) You'll notice a few changes to navigation: the menu of categories, plus a few other features, are at…
Left Brain, Right Brain – can you be an editor and a writer?
I often get asked how I can be an editor/proofreader and write creatively. How do I switch from analytical precision to free-flowing creativity? One activity seems very left brain, the other right. When I launched my proofreading and editing business I did wonder at first whether my anal retentiveness and perfectionism when it comes to…
Punctuation is SEXY (and using it properly will get you more dates online)
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.…
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…
Choosing a Title
A short thought today on titles - specifically, choosing one for your story or novel or poem. Each time I start a new post here I am invited to fill in the "Title" section at the top. I used to struggle with this. I tried to come up with something creative and intriguing and clever,…
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…
Patricia Bell, Author 