The Sensual Typewriter

I remember my first typewriter well. It was a pale grey Remington and it weighed approximately half a ton. While it was theoretically portable, it was impossible to carry the damn thing from one room to the next without risking a double hernia. It was so heavy that I was under strict instructions from my … Continue reading The Sensual Typewriter

Ghostwriter Diaries 13

Years ago, Gloria Estefan advised me that the rhythm was gonna get me. I think she may have been broadcasting the same message to several million other people at the same time, but I can't be sure. Well, you know what? Just as Gloria promised, the rhythm has indeed got me. In the early days … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 13

Ghostwriter Diaries 12

Having completed phase one of my ghostwriting assignment (the first twelve chapters of the novel), I'm now deep into phase two. However, my timescale is so tight, and my editors are so efficient, that I've just received a complete set of notes on phase one. Getting feedback as you go along is a good thing. … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 12

Ghostwriter Diaries 11

This week I hit the first major road block in my ghostwriting journey. Real life, as it often does, took my carefully-crafted schedule and twisted it into something resembling a monster pretzel. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say the broken washing machine and flooded kitchen didn't help. Actually, there wasn't … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 11

Ghostwriter Diaries 10

Yahoo! I just reached the first major milestone in my ghostwriting odyssey. I've completed the first part of the three-part novel, and submitted the first draft manuscript to my client. Total count of this first submission is around 27,500 words. That's a little longer than agreed, but long is good because it gives the editorial … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 10

Ghostwriter Diaries 09

Okay. Here's what not to do when you're ghostwriting. When you find yourself lying awake at 4:05am, mentally juggling characters, plots and the relentless tolling bell of the word count schedule, don't get out of bed, crawl downstairs, make yourself a strong coffee, fire up the laptop and start writing at white heat. Yes, you … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 09

Ghostwriter Diaries 08

I've reached the end of week two of my schedule. I'm six chapters in, and just shy of 16,000 words. The last chapter threw me a curve ball by running on half as long again as any of the others, and therefore taking longer than anticipated to compose. I've no idea if that's because I've … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 08

The Forgotten Words Story Generator

The English language is a truly ancient organism. Like all living things, it evolves constantly, growing new words and shedding old ones like a snake sheds its skin. Thanks to a wonderful website called The Phrontistery, many of those forgotten words have been preserved in a kind of lexical deep-freeze. In order to demonstrate the … Continue reading The Forgotten Words Story Generator

Ghostwriter Diaries 07

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday season. I certainly did. Now, with the wine rack looking sadly depleted and twelfth night just around the corner, it's time to take down the tinsel and hang up the ghostwriting schedule. It's a tight schedule, one that requires me to turn out an average … Continue reading Ghostwriter Diaries 07

Copy Editing “Talus and the Frozen King”

Here's how the copy editing process works. Your editor emails you a copy of your manuscript in Word format, conveniently marked with proposed changes and pithy comments using the handy Track Changes feature, accompanied by a request that you read through their remarks, accepting or rejecting their suggestions as you see fit, before returning it for … Continue reading Copy Editing “Talus and the Frozen King”