Reading this book made me reflect on the “tiny noticeable things” that a writer might do to make a magazine editor’s life easier.
Read MoreHow to help an editor
Professional writer
The Raygor reading level graph
The Professional Writer: Make your text readable
What is readable by a particular age group today may not be readable by that same age group tomorrow.
Read MoreThe Professional Writer: Learning the tools of your trade
Observe any specialist, and they know exactly which tool they need for a particular job. Writers, too, should know what tools they need, and how to use them.
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Proofreading, by Terry Freedman
The need for more intensive proofreading
Those people who implore us to always have someone else proofread a piece of writing are, annoyingly, completely correct.
Read MoreUsing codes when note-taking
You might think that recording an interview, and then transcribing it using an app like Otter, would be much faster than writing everything down at the time.
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Blogger, by Terry Freedman
7 things that every serious blogger should do
If you're going to blog, please don't disrespect your reader by publishing non-proofed copy, verbose (aka pompous) writing, gratuitous swearing, incorrect words and other horrors that could easily be avoided.
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hazardous area by Terry Freedman
The basics of good technical writing
Technical writing may not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, but (a) there’s a great need for it and (b) a huge degree of satisfaction is gained from writing user manuals that ordinary mortals can understand.
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Steps, by Terry Freedman
The professional writer: the stages of writing an article
Different people approach articles in different ways. I think it would be rather presumptuous of me to lay down the correct order of doing things. Therefore, this is a checklist of things to do.
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On this day, by Terry Freedman
On this day #9: A nice problem to have
Imagine being so successful as a writer that the main problems you have are managing the workload and managing the finances.
Read MoreShould writers enjoy copyright protection?
We don’t say, “Nice factory you’ve built up there, but it’s unfair that you get to keep it for more than a few years, and even if you do, you can’t pass it on in your will.” Who would bother investing their own time and money in the enterprise if they thought that would be the outcome?
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"Brexit font and UK flag (CC0, public domain)" by swissbert is marked with CC0 1.0
Two articles for authors regarding Brexit
Here are two useful articles about what the Brexit deal might mean for writers.
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Something ain't right, by Terry Freedman
An offer I COULD refuse
Gosh, I thought. I’m going to have to think long and hard about this….
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Pencil, by Terry Freedman
The Professional Writer: Act professionally! 7 types of professional behaviour
At the risk of stating the obvious or, worse, being tautological, I think the mark of a professional writer is that he or she behaves professionally. What might professional behaviour look like?
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 5
In the past I have tried giving copious guidelines to would-be contributors, or stating that the preferred document type is plain text. People did take notice of the guidelines, but the wordprocessor didn’t.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 4
I’m rich! Well, OK, not rich exactly, but getting there. It can only be a matter of time before I am lying in a hammock somewhere dictating my next bestseller.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 3
I don’t usually write short stories, but today I managed to think about, write (in my head, again) and then actually write a work of fiction which will fit nicely into a free newsletter I publish.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 2
A great stimulus, I find, is photography. I always try and take a digital camera with me wherever I go. It fits into a pocket, and now and then there’s a great shot just waiting to be taken.
Read MoreReview of Things Seen, by Annie Ernaux
There is something to be said for short pieces that stand alone as impressions but yet together form a tapestry of a whole picture. Once certainly gets a sense of the aspects of Paris which, as in any tourist-attracting city, are not to be discovered in the guidebooks.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 1 (Updated)
(Updated) All cafés should have free wireless internet access.
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Terry's desk, by Terry Freedman
The Writing Practice
I keep meeting people who tell me that one of these days they are going to write a book, or start writing articles to pitch to magazines. Really? Why “one of these days”? Why not today, or tomorrow?
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