The young readers' version is an adaptation of the nonfiction adult book, The Queens' English – a reference guide to the LGBTQIA+ community's contribution to the English language. With new playful and rich illustrations, the young readers' dictionary is perfect for anyone who wants to explore and celebrate queer history, diversity, and the spectrum of identity. WhenContinue reading "The Queens’ English"
Submitting to agents and publishers
Are you submitting your manuscript to agents or publishers? You want to make your submission as strong as possible. Here's some advice and how I can support you to get your submission package ready for submitting to agents and publishers. Are you ready to submit? Getting ready to send your manuscript off to a publisherContinue reading "Submitting to agents and publishers"
The London Book Fair 2024
This year, I visited the London Book Fair – my first trip to the greatest book trade fair. Here are my reflections on the event, whether it's worth attending as a freelancer and what self-publishing advice I learnt from the event. Self-publishing at the London Book Fair The bulk of the exhibitors at the LondonContinue reading "The London Book Fair 2024"
Creating authentic queer characters
The world is stuffed full of a wide rainbow of people, from all places, backgrounds, gender identities and sexualities, to name a few differences. As our fiction aims to represent the world around us so our characters need to represent that wide variety of people. For a long time, queer characters have been underrepresented inContinue reading "Creating authentic queer characters"
Tropes vs Cliches: What’s the difference?
When writing, we often hear the words trope and cliché. Understanding the difference between the two is important, as is understanding when to use them effectively in our writing and when to steer well clear! Tropes as tools Tropes are essentially patterns and conventions that provide structure to your storytelling. Frequently unique to a particularContinue reading "Tropes vs Cliches: What’s the difference?"
Books for LGBTQ+ History Month
LGBTQ+ History Month is a time for us to reflect and to understand where the LGBTQ+ community has come from, the struggles it has had and the fights it has won. There’s so much more to do but understanding our history is vitally important too. We have always existed. We have always been there, throughoutContinue reading "Books for LGBTQ+ History Month"
AI Tools in Editing: Why a Human is Best!
In this blog post, we consider why AI tools, despite their ability to understand some rules of grammar and syntax, fall short. We consider cultural landscapes, evolving language and emotional depths that define fiction, showcasing the indispensable role of human editors in crafting stories that not only adhere to grammatical conventions but also resonate authenticallyContinue reading "AI Tools in Editing: Why a Human is Best!"
The Seven Basic (Queer) Plots
It is said that there are only seven basic plots for all stories. No matter how complex or involved the story seems to be, it can be placed into one of the seven different types of story. The seven basic plots are not genres but structures we can use to construct a story and toContinue reading "The Seven Basic (Queer) Plots"
2024 Awareness Days
There are many LGBTQ+ awareness days throughout the year. These are days that bring particular attention to a group of people who share a common identity or experience.
Writing more authentic dialogue
Writing dialogue is sometimes the most challenging thing when writing your novel. What are the best ways to approach writing dialogue and writing more authentic conversations between your characters? Show, don’t tell This is always great advice for writers but it extends to dialogue as much as the action and narrative of your writing. DialogueContinue reading "Writing more authentic dialogue"
