The War on Was

An editor once told me to reduce my reliance on ‘to be’ … I sweated over the task, finding it easier said than done. Year later … I find myself offering the same advice to my clients. Action moves our stories forward, so we need our verbs to be as vivid as possible.

Rather than leaving authors out in the cold, struggling to wage war on the beleaguered verb, here are some tips to manage this nit-picky challenge – when to use it and when to lose it. Continue reading The War on Was

How to convert from Australian English to US English

My publisher (it’s such a thrill to be able to type those words) for The Godfather of Dance, Wings ePress, is in the US, so I needed to update my novel from Australian English to US English. The differences were even greater than I’d realised (realized). I’ve noted these changes to help other authors and to show the differences to my non-US friends, so they don’t think I’ve published a book full of errors! Continue reading How to convert from Australian English to US English

Karien Van Ditzhuijzen on Expat Life, Writing and Migrant Domestic Workers

Karien, author of A Yellow House, has spent the majority of her life as an expat. Nominally from The Netherlands, she has also lived in Oman, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, France and the United Kingdom. But where is home? And how has her experience bled into her writing? Join me to explore this and more. Continue reading Karien Van Ditzhuijzen on Expat Life, Writing and Migrant Domestic Workers