I’m not really interested in investigating the reasons behind Microsoft creating a proprietary file extension for the most commonly used document type in the world. I expect it has something to do with struggling to maintain a stranglehold on the market, as most of their decisions seem to be based on that goal. (My indifference [...]
Tag Archives: Editing
Comic Sans
I had no idea it was such a controversial subject, but according to this BBC article, Comic Sans can really send the wrong message.
Query Letter Advice
As part of my research for our upcoming Live Your Dream book, Staying Out of the Slush Pile, I’ve been scouring the Internet for tips on writing effective queries. One of the best sites I’ve found is AgentQuery. Definitely worth checking out if you’re at that stage in your project. One of the details I [...]
FreeMind
As anyone who has taken my workshops will tell you, I’m a fiend for outlining. I think it’s a combination of my personality and the fact that Robert McKee is one of the strongest influences on me as a writer and editor. Whatever the reason, the fact is that I seldom start any kind of [...]
What Not to Write
A solid percentage of the people I meet at conferences and workshops seem to working in the speculative fiction genre (aka fantasy or sci-fi). While the genre does offer some great storytelling opportunities, it is also pretty easy to fall into cliche. I stumbled onto a list of Stories We’ve Seen Too Often on the [...]
Calgary was Great!
Just got back from a quick trip to Calgary where Crystal and I taught a two-day conference on the craft of writing and getting published for SCBWI. Apparently that was the first conference held by the Society in Calgary and it was an honour to be part of it. We met lots of fun, enthusiastic [...]
Query/Manuscript Idol
In association with SCBWI and Gumboot Books, I participated in two great events over the last two weeks. Both events were based on the American Idol model – a letter or manuscript was read aloud until Crystal or myself stopped the reading and then gave our reasons for stopping. Since the groups were kept small [...]
