Editor's Blog

Jul 3, Determination!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:17:32 GMT

I think, hang on-I know, that the most important part of writing anything, same goes for songwriting, reports, letters, book reviews, that the most

Jul 1, Persevere!

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:24:20 GMT

The reader actually wants to read your stories. If you are in the middle of your story and the plot is at it's climax, sometimes you can just think, I

Jul 1, first ideas

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:35:57 GMT

any ideas you get write them down and keep them somewhere safe as you may need to rely on them later in life good luck that is the best tip i have.

Jun 29, What can I get away with?

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:06:37 GMT

Hello - I would like to tell you a little about myself and then ask the Big questions. My name is Ethan Dawe. I am in the financial services

Jun 25, Righteous Heros and Villians.

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:18:30 GMT

Sure, we all love the all around good guy and the bad guy with a die hard vengeance. However, it is a played out cliche. Try this for both: -Give

Jun 23, Become An Online Editor

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:27:24 GMT

Online editor, Audrey Owen, explains how to become an online editor. Watch the video and follow the links for more information.

Jun 22, Write on Bowen! 2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:02:13 GMT

Calling all writers and readers! Bowen Island is the place to be for aspiring and experienced writers on the weekend of July 10 to 12. Come spend the day or the whole weekend! All you need to bring is your notebook and your imagination! You can register online for all events at the Write on Bowen! Festival of Readers and Writers!, an event presented by the Bowen Island Arts Council. Write on Bowen! celebrates writers and readers on beautiful Bowen Island, BC, and beyond! Participate in interactive writing workshops that will really kick start your creative juices, learn tricks of the trade from professional writers in our panel presentations, enjoy readings by local authors including science fiction legend Spider Robinson on opening night and meet and mingle with festival authors at our gala celebration of the literary arts. Sign up for a one-on-one blue pencil editing session with a professional writer/editor who will help you focus on making your writing the best it can be. Your visit to Bowen Island and the Write on Bowen! Festival can also include a contemplative walk and picnic in the Lieben Lands, a local heritage site that inspired Canadian literary legends such as Earle Birney, Alice Munro, and Margaret Laurence who visited and worked there in the 1940's and 1950's. Panel presentations are free, but most workshops are limited to just 15 participants so please register early! For more information, visit the website at http://www.biac.ca/writersfestival.

Jun 18, Piece the Puzzle Together

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:09:33 GMT

Just like a puzzle, writing isn't just sticking random pieces together and smacking them until they look like...well, vintage. Your events should

Jun 18, Ask About The Title

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:08:57 GMT

When you come up with a title that you like, go up to someone and ask them if they have ever heard of it. While you're at it, as them if it sounds

Jun 18, Grammar is the key

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:08:30 GMT

Learning grammar is a great way to improve your writing. Helping to understand how a sentence is formed and punctuated provides one with more variety

Jun 13, Don't repeat yourself. I repeat, don't repeat yourself.

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:44:20 GMT

I highly agree with the above Tip #17, I used it even before I found this helpful list. Reading your work aloud really helps you determine what sounds

Jun 4, Character Connection

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 01:41:49 GMT

If you are writing a book that has fictional characters, the reader should be able to connect to the characters on a personal level. Make the

May 27, Give it a Rest!

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:28:05 GMT

Just as a choice piece of beef needs to rest a few minutes before being served, so goes the manuscript. When you have cooked up your story to near

May 22, Note Your Dreams.

Fri, 22 May 2009 21:43:31 GMT

I find some of my best ideas originate from my dreams. As soon as I wake from one, I get out my notebook and I write it down, and sometimes it

May 22, Research: A Writers Best Friend and A Writers Worst Enemy

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:02:29 GMT

Research: A Writers Best Friend and A Writers Worst Enemy by Joseph Finder, author of New York Times bestsellers Paranoia, Power Play, Killer

May 21, Include Everyday Objects

Thu, 21 May 2009 23:47:06 GMT

When writing/reading fiction, I've found that it's easier for the reader to relate and feel open to the characters if they have something in common

May 18, Editing required for 3 ariticles

Mon, 18 May 2009 16:28:17 GMT

Hello I need editing for 3 articles 500 words each. Could you please give me a quote and let me send you articles? Please reply.

May 18, Write or Die

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:39:47 GMT

Encourages writing by punishing the author if they stop writing for a number of seconds. You can set your own goals, grace period and mode.

May 17, No Distractions Please!

Sun, 17 May 2009 16:43:47 GMT

Don't write when you need the toilet, are extremely hungry/thirsty of if there is a television on in the room you are in. These distract you from your

May 17, Never run on

Sun, 17 May 2009 00:56:41 GMT

You want your reader to be interested every single second they are reading. Make sure you don't have too many words on one subject because eventually

May 11, Uh Writing Tip,

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:11:52 GMT

Um I think that the best writing tip like, ever, is like uh, you know uh, when you write stuff, you should like, think on topic, like, just say that

May 10, Weak your story is weak?

Sun, 10 May 2009 16:57:08 GMT

Please could you tell me what does a weak story mean.I have written a children's story and have had it returned because it was to

May 7, Notebooks Are Essential!

Thu, 07 May 2009 13:25:41 GMT

I always have a notebook and a pencil on hand. I get ideas in every single one of my classes. Whether it is in band, chorus, history, study hall,

May 4, Punctuation

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:21:45 GMT

to say: I wish I was going to the party, sounds like everyday language, but in reality it is not correct, I think. It should always be I wish I

May 3, Writing Goals 2009

Sun, 03 May 2009 16:10:33 GMT

Writers share their writing goals for 2009 and receive support from Audrey Owen, editor at writershelper.com.

Apr 27, Try a Few for Size

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:00:26 GMT

I always found it best to not only write all the time, but write as a multitude of characters. Treat writing as a buffet; one day try writing from a

Apr 23, One-Lines are Writing Too

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:08:25 GMT

I try to write songs, but I'm not good with melody, so I've resigned to writing poetry. This works well for me, but sometimes I can't think of a whole

Apr 19, Bend your words, don't let them bend you.

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 23:56:31 GMT

I am a professional bladesmith by trade and am writing a novel on the side. In comparing the two disciplines I find similar threads. In bladesmithing

Apr 15, Close your eyes and let your other senses be in control

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:17:54 GMT

When your character steps into a strange room or meets a new person, don't just write about what you character SEES, write how the person makes them

Apr 12, fakeout.

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 14:26:43 GMT

use a thesaurus, for words, so they seem bigger and make your reader be under the influence than you are

Apr 3, Personify!

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:26:07 GMT

Instead of saying: The wind blew through the trees rapidly. Say. . . The wind, sneaky and stealth, creeped up on the unsuspecting leaves and

Mar 31, Dont be afraid to jump ahead

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:20:49 GMT

If you write, you probably read. If you read, you probably read in order. But. You can skip ahead. No one will yell at you. You WILL however get an

Mar 25, Get to know your characters

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:59:34 GMT

Always think about your characters. If you're in a situation think how your character would handle it and they would react. This helps you get to

Mar 23, Fear not

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:40:57 GMT

Don't be afraid to write what you feel, how you feel, and when you feel it. This will allow the emotion to flow from your heart and onto the

Mar 20, A Rant Is A Work of Art

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:06:35 GMT

Try ranting about something in your writing. To me, there are few things better than capping off a perfectly executed rant.

Mar 18, Enjoy the process!

Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:41:59 GMT

Allow yourself to take time! Write some guidelines for the book, find the information you need, think about your challenges... DON'T EVER RUSH!! Sure,

Mar 17, For a little bit of romance....

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 15:14:39 GMT

Although I personally believe that romance is one of the easiest elements to write, it is important not to overdo it. Sometimes, minimalising stuff

Mar 15, Know Your Characters as if they were your best friends

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:13:54 GMT

This is very important especially when writing fiction or fantasy, since they are the elements that really hold the story together. The worst thing

Mar 14, I seek critique like a hidden treasure

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:07:16 GMT

I have an agent interested in my work. Great! Now they want a critique. I have no problem getting a critique. I seek critique! Do you offer that

Mar 13, Get to know your characters!

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:12:48 GMT

Write character bios for each of your main or even secondary characters! Include things like name, eye and hair color, ect... You may not use

Mar 12, Any suggestions?

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:42:40 GMT

The project (on which I've worked for over a year now) is a devotional Bible Study kind of thing. Not a Bible thumping, beggarly kind of

Mar 2, Push Procrastination Off The Cliff

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:08:20 GMT

How do you stop your procrastination about writing? Plain and simple...you put it off. I can come up with a handful of things I need to be doing

Feb 28, When writing by hand....

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 02:07:50 GMT

If you are writing by hand in a notepad one of the best pieces of advice I've been given is to LEAVE A LINE between each line you write. This way

Feb 23, Avoid cliches

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:31:43 GMT

Don't write a story that has been done thousands of times before, for example, falling in love with your best friend. People don't want to read a

Feb 22, Showing Your Story

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:19:17 GMT

Be careful who you show your story to. Your parents and close relatives may say they like it just to make you feel good. Show it to someone who

Feb 11, Don't "Bunch together" writing

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 04:59:50 GMT

I find that adding extra blocks of text, like a story of a character's life during an action helps flesh out a character slowly: The

Feb 10, Character Pizzaz

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 04:16:38 GMT

Make sure your characters are life like. Character development is one of the most crucial aspects of writing. Your readers need to relate to the

Feb 7, Pimping My Prose

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:25:02 GMT

Is it advantageous to acquire an

Feb 5, Keep it private.

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:53:35 GMT

Treat a book like a secret room. Let no-one read it until completion. If you get lots of compliments then you can get sloppy with the

Jan 26, Editor's Blog December 2008

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 01:20:00 GMT

Breaking news on writing, editing, and self-publishing. Reminders of good writing principles. Editor's Blog keeps you abreast of issues related to your craft. Audrey researches so you can write.