Tag Archives: writing advice

Another Way to Write Your Memoir

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Danielle de Valera

Many’s the person who’s thought to themselves, “I’ve had an interesting life. I should write my memoir.” And they’re right: there’s a book in every one of us, whether we’ve lived what to the ordinary world would seem an interesting … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for writers, Danielle De Valera, how to write a memoir, indie publishing, memoir writing, Patrick de Valera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Conflict in Novels

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Danielle de Valera

Every good novel needs conflict, something that prevents its hero from achieving his or her aim. Superman wants a safe world, Lex Luthor wants to take it over and doesn’t care who he kills to do it. Girl wants boy, … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for writers, Australian manuscript appraisers, conflict in fiction, Conflict in novels, Danielle De Valera, good editors, Patrick de Valera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finding an expert you can trust

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Danielle de Valera

If you’re an indie writer, these days you’re often dealing with people you’ve never met and probably never will – cover designers, interior designers, manuscript assessors, editors. I have never met the woman did the cover and the interior for … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for indie publishers, advice for writers, Australian manuscript appraisers, Danielle De Valera, editors, fiction editing, good editors, how to find a good editor, manuscript assessments, manuscript assessors, Patrick de Valera, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Those pesky possessive Ss

Posted on May 28, 2016 by Danielle de Valera

with possessive Ss I think we all know that an apostrophe is used before the possessive of singular common nouns, e.g. the boy’s bike. So far, so good. But what if the noun being possessed (as it were) isn’t singular, … Continue reading →

Posted in advice for indie publishers, Australian manuscript appraisers, Danielle De Valera, editing, editors, fiction editing, manuscript assessments, manuscript assessors, Patrick de Valera, possessive Ss, re-editing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Foreword v. Preface v. Introduction

Posted on May 7, 2016 by Danielle de Valera

Last month, a client of mine asked me to edit his non-fiction book, a series of vignettes about his time in rural Australia in the 1950s and Papua New Guinea in the ‘70s. One of the first things I noticed … Continue reading →

Posted in advice for indie publishers, forewords, indie publishing, introductions, manuscript appraisers, manuscript assessments, manuscript assessors, manuscript presentation, Patrick de Valera, prefaces | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commas – inside or outside quotes?

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Danielle de Valera

In my work as a manuscript evaluator and developmental editor, it’s clear to me that writers are still having a lot of trouble with commas. One of the instances that always seems to cause confusion is the one where sometimes, … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for writers, commas, editing, editors, fiction editing, indie publishing, Patrick de Valera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Thumbs Down Publishers List

Posted on November 1, 2015 by Danielle de Valera

What indie writer trying to juggle the demands (and costs) of cover design, ebook design, print book design, and possibly a full time job as well, hasn’t been tempted to toss the lot to one of those publishers who promise … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for writers, Australian manuscript appraisers, Danielle De Valera, editing, editors, getting published, indie publishing, manuscript appraisers, manuscript assessments, manuscript assessors, Patrick de Valera, publishers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How to Handle Rejections

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Danielle de Valera

Anyone who’s ever submitted a short story to a magazine or a novel to a traditional publisher knows that sinking feeling: Rejection. “I’ve been rejected!” you cry — sometimes just to yourself; other times out loud. The old days were … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for writers, Danielle De Valera, getting rejected, manuscript presentation, Patrick de Valera, short story competitions, traditional publishing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s in a name?

Posted on May 30, 2015 by Danielle de Valera

When it’s the title of your novel, a great deal, if you plan to publish on the web. A writer has only four chances to attract readers. These are: ~ the cover ~ the title ~ the story as revealed … Continue reading →

Posted in advice about writing, advice for writers, Choosing a name for your novel, manuscript appraisers, manuscript assessors, titles of novels | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments