Free indirect discourse: what it is and why you should use it

Free indirect discourse: what it is and why you should use it

Last updated Sep 5, 2024 | Blog

Free indirect discourse is one of the most useful and effective tools available to those writing from a third person point of view. It sounds kind of fancy, but it’s actually quite a natural technique (you may have even used it without realising!). So what exactly is...
How to hook your reader in chapter one

How to hook your reader in chapter one

Last updated Sep 5, 2024 | Blog

The first chapter of your novel – or your prologue if you prefer – must contain a compelling opening hook, giving the reader a taste of what’s to come and persuading them that the rest of your story isn’t to be missed. Get it right and your reader will commit to your...
A guide to capitalising titles and ranks

A guide to capitalising titles and ranks

Last updated Sep 5, 2024 | Blog

If you’ve ever had a hard time wrapping your head around when you should and shouldn’t capitalise words like ‘sergeant’, ‘doctor’, ‘queen’, and ‘sir’, you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re not alone. Probably about half of the manuscripts I edit contain...
Five ways to fix a sagging middle

Five ways to fix a sagging middle

Last updated Dec 12, 2023 | Blog

No, I promise I’m not moonlighting as a personal trainer. When I talk about a sagging middle, I’m referring to the way some stories lose their momentum as they reach the halfway point. It’s a common problem – affecting perhaps 10 per cent of the manuscripts I edit –...