How can you spot good character agency? I’m going to start sharing some of the feedback I regularly give to clients, along with tips to help you find and change/strengthen these things in your own stories. Let’s start by chatting about AGENCY. (To find more of these on Twitter, search #EditingTipsFromAnna) Teeny disclaimer for myContinue reading “Agency”
Category Archives: Writing
Receiving Feedback
Receiving feedback on beloved stories can be one of the most wonderful things in the world. It can also be incredibly tough, since that fresh pair of eyes will spot things we didn’t in the ONE MILLION times we scoured our words. Below are some of my tips for taking the sting out of evenContinue reading “Receiving Feedback”
Low
We all have those times when writing is an absolute dream. The ideas flow, the words actually make sense, we smash targets and get great feedback. These moments are lovely. But they can also be fleeting. These inspired periods cannot be depended on if we want to write regularly. I don’t know about you, butContinue reading “Low”
Love
‘Never trust people who don’t have something in their lives that they love beyond reason.’ – Fredrik Backman Write for the love of it. Write because you have a story to tell. Because you have stories to tell. Write because you need to figure out the stories inside of you. Write to be known, toContinue reading “Love”
Edit
How I edit my stories I love hearing about different writers’ processes. I’ve already chatted a bit about how I write a first draft, but this time I want to talk about how I edit my books from unholy first drafts to readable, polished stories. This is just how I do it, so please don’tContinue reading “Edit”
Options
Some more detail about my editing services I genuinely love working with other writers to help them make their writing stronger. I have worked with writers who have penned several books or just one, those who are agented and those who are dreaming of being on shelves, those who have polished their manuscript for yearsContinue reading “Options”
Tough
Get tough… or don’t I can be downright mean to myself when I don’t meet my writing goals. I don’t sit down when I’d planned to and I tell myself I’m wasting precious time. I don’t manage to edit as many chapters as I wanted to and I feel like I’m desperately behind. The wordsContinue reading “Tough”
Sustain
Thoughts about writing during this strange time I keep going through periods of wildly fluctuating productivity with my writing. Or maybe that’s not strictly true. My output might stay the same, but a chapter can take me half an hour to edit or a whole morning. And writing feels easy, the ideas flow, or itContinue reading “Sustain”
Start
Why I began writing – the origin story I always wanted to be a writer. Books were my refuge when I was small. Authors like Jacqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl, and Jill Murphy were my heroes. My writing tastes diversified as I grew, diving into Malorie Blackman, Louise Rennison, and Jane Austen. I read widely andContinue reading “Start”
Habit
How do we make writing a habit? A lot of you will have experienced that wave of creativity when you first start writing. Suddenly, something clicks and you’re away. It may last for only an hour, or a few days. Mine lasted for the whole of the first draft of my first book. I wasContinue reading “Habit”
