Tag Archives: good writing

Dialogue in Fiction

Posted on October 8, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

I can’t remember whether I’ve brought this subject up before, but a reminder never does any harm – especially with common problems! Very often when I’m reading manuscripts for the writers’ advice services I work for, I come across dialogue … Continue reading →

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Success!

Posted on July 30, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

The government have been reading my blog (or at least I assume so) and after seeing the posting about jargon in modern life have decided to act decisively. This was in the Telegraph the other day: Officials have been issued … Continue reading →

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Leave out the boring bits!

Posted on June 25, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

I try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip Elmore Leonard I must admit to a bias here, for two reasons. 1. I’ve just had to read through a manuscript that was 80,000 words when it could … Continue reading →

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Dialogue

Posted on April 26, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

Dialogue seems to be one of the biggest problem areas for newer writers – not just making it seem realistic and using it to bring characters to life rather than having to tell the reader everything about them, but also … Continue reading →

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An Alternative View on Alternate & Alternative

Posted on March 15, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

An American friend, skulking in the shadows and too afraid to show her face on here, has quickly pointed out to me that in the 18th century, when America was still part of the British Empire (before Mel Gibson came … Continue reading →

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The Universe and Everything

Posted on March 14, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

There is an advert currently doing the TV rounds which talks about someone accessing an ‘alternate universe’. This might suffice for America where it’s common currency, but those of us here who wish to guard the mother tongue should rise … Continue reading →

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Wayne Rooney and I

Posted on March 14, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

In a recent interview, Sir Alex Ferguson the Manchester United manager responded to reports that he had fallen out with Wayne Rooney and was going to get rid of him with the statement ‘There is no issue with Wayne and … Continue reading →

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Planting Seeds

Posted on February 6, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

In the course of my freelance work for a writers’ advisory service I was reading a children’s story where a girl’s gran presents her with a magical pendant. The problem was that till then it had been an ordinary gran/granddaughter … Continue reading →

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Problematic Words

Posted on January 18, 2013 by ramblesofawriter

Two pairs of words that cause confusion: If you reproduce someone’s exact words, such as ‘Martyn Beardsley’s new book Murder in Montague Place is the best crime novel in years’… …then it’s a quotation not a quote. The words are … Continue reading →

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Problematic Words

Posted on December 28, 2012 by ramblesofawriter

  I read something somewhere yesterday (I meant to make a note of exactly where but I forgot!) that described someone’s body as being ‘wracked with pain’. This is a pretty common and understandable mistake, because both ‘wracked’ and the … Continue reading →

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