Gosh, I thought. I’m going to have to think long and hard about this….
Read MoreSomething ain't right, by Terry Freedman
Professional writer
Pencil, by Terry Freedman
The Professional Writer: Act professionally! 7 types of professional behaviour
At the risk of stating the obvious or, worse, being tautological, I think the mark of a professional writer is that he or she behaves professionally. What might professional behaviour look like?
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 5
In the past I have tried giving copious guidelines to would-be contributors, or stating that the preferred document type is plain text. People did take notice of the guidelines, but the wordprocessor didn’t.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 4
I’m rich! Well, OK, not rich exactly, but getting there. It can only be a matter of time before I am lying in a hammock somewhere dictating my next bestseller.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 3
I don’t usually write short stories, but today I managed to think about, write (in my head, again) and then actually write a work of fiction which will fit nicely into a free newsletter I publish.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 2
A great stimulus, I find, is photography. I always try and take a digital camera with me wherever I go. It fits into a pocket, and now and then there’s a great shot just waiting to be taken.
Read MoreReview of Things Seen, by Annie Ernaux
There is something to be said for short pieces that stand alone as impressions but yet together form a tapestry of a whole picture. Once certainly gets a sense of the aspects of Paris which, as in any tourist-attracting city, are not to be discovered in the guidebooks.
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a Writer's diary, by Terry Freedman
A writer's diary: day 1 (Updated)
(Updated) All cafés should have free wireless internet access.
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Terry's desk, by Terry Freedman
The Writing Practice
I keep meeting people who tell me that one of these days they are going to write a book, or start writing articles to pitch to magazines. Really? Why “one of these days”? Why not today, or tomorrow?
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Er, not that kind of platform. Photo: Station platform, by Terry Freedman
The Professional Writer: Why you need a platform
Setting up a platform is easy. Keeping it fresh is time-consuming, and in strict accounting terms may not be worth the time and effort as far as generating income is concerned. So why bother?
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Notebook and Pencil, by Terry Freedman
The Professional Writer: Know Your Rights
Do you know about types of copyright and moral rights?
Read MoreProofreading (by someone else) is essential
When it comes to proofreading, we tend to hear what we expect to hear. Why? And what can we do about it?
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Lexico website, by Terry Freedman
A potentially useful word website
Could this website be a substitute for a printed usage guide?
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Click the pic to see the book on Amazon UK. (Amazon affiliate link.)
Book review: Bird By Bird
It's not often one comes across a book which purports to contain instructions on both writing and life. Does the concept work?
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Questions, by Terry Freedman
The writer's paradox
Many writers are introverts. Perhaps even most are. It’s an ideal state for the act of writing itself, where an ability to remain silent, and not interact with another person, for hours on end is a blessing.
Read MoreHow to not write without feeling guilty
When does not writing count as writing?
Read MoreA Writer’s Reference Toolkit: Style Guides (Updated)
There are two broad kinds of style guide. There is the generic type, containing advice on such things as whether to use “different from” or “different than”. And there is the specific type, ie specific to a particular publication. For example, should “internet” be spelled with a lower case “i”, or as “Internet”?. The specific style guide will tell you.
Read MoreHow I write: books
How can you start writing a book if you don’t know where to start?
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Calendar, by Terry Freedman
How I produce books
There are different stages in the writing and publication of a book. I wrote about the software I use at each stage.
Read MoreThe Professional Writer: Other people’s practice
What can writers learn from the way other writers work?
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