Handy hints
Photo from Stencil. Licence: CC0
Another article in the 'bad writing' series, 7 Features of Bad Writing suggests some common characteristics of poor prose. Any one of these 'sins' would serve as an indicator, especially if they occur more than once or twice.
Read MoreWhen should you use bullet points, and when numbers? Read on to find out.
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Photo from Stencil. Licence: CC0
If you're too tired to write, AND you wear glasses, maybe this is the solution. One of these days I'll learn, and I'm hoping this post will serve as a reminder -- to myself!
Read MoreIf you have a tonne of books, what's the best way of organising them? Here are a few suggestions.
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High Street Kensington: more than just a station. Come out of the station, turn left, and it's a nice walk or short bus ride to Olympia, where #LBF17 was held. Photo by Terry Freedman 2017
What I learnt on the last day of the London Book Fair 2017.
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With apologies to Edvard Munch
What could be worse than losing all of your carefully crafted work? Here are 5 ways to protect yourself against that happening.
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The iCloud.com dashboard
If you use the Notes app on an Apple device like an iPad, and wish to access your notes from an Android device, such as an HTC smartphone, here's a work-around.
Read MoreA handy hint for writing on the move.
Read MoreIf you have an ebook reader or app, especially the Kindle, then you're in luck. Here are 5 free and low-cost services from which you can obtain new books every day!
Read MoreIf you use a device like a phone, laptop or netbook, here's a handy tip to help you enjoy more writing time between battery charges.
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Thumbnail sketch of a very useful book I came across recently. If you want to tighten up your prose, this is the book for you.
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Spellcheckers are useful, even essential. But don't rely on them exclusively.
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An old typewriter
John Steinbeck on writing.
Read MoreAn obvious sort of tip that may be beneficial nevertheless.
Read MoreThe Carrot2 search engine can be a useful alternative to Google.
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A dictionary is an invaluable resource. Photo from www.pixabay.com CC0
If you want to make sure that you use the correct word more often than not, you gotta have a plan.
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Image from Pixabay.com CC0
The importance of outlining, and other useful advice, is included in this infographic. Despite the title, there is much here of relevance to writing in general.
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Most writers use a computer of some sort these days, and the thing about computers is that they go wrong. It’s not an ‘if’, but a ‘when’. In my experience, it happens when you have a deadline for the same day or when you were just about to dash out of the door to start your holiday. Unless you’re working for a company or some sort of co-operative, chances are you are your own technician. So what can you do to minimise the pain?
There can be several reasons why it is not possible to work on your book, blog or other writing project. Maybe you’ve saved it in the cloud, and don’t have an internet connection. Perhaps you didn’t think you would have the time to write, so didn’t take your laptop with you. Or maybe you’re waiting outside the school gates. Whatever the reason, you can usually still do something. Here are the strategies that I’ve found work for me.
One of the things I’ve learnt over the years is that if my antivirus program tells me there is a new version that I need to install, I always create a system restore point (I’m using a PC). Why? Because on almost every occasion something doesn’t work afterwards.
