Penny Carroll

Writer & Editor

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  • Editing, How-to, Writing

    Tips for using expletives in fiction

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    Do you use expletives in your writing? Here are a few pointers to keep in mind next time you’re dropping those swear bombs.

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  • Editing, Writing

    When is the best time to work with beta readers?

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    Here are my top three tips for authors preparing to send their stories out to beta readers.

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  • How-to

    Everything you need to know about semicolons

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    If you’re confused about how to use semicolons correctly, I’ve got the advice you need (and it’s not nearly as tricky as you might expect).

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  • How-to, Writing

    How to write great chapter and scene openers

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    Chapter and scene openers matter just as much as the closing lines. Here’s some tips for crafting strong scenes from the very top.

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  • Editing, How-to

    How to punctuate dialogue in fiction

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    Polishing your dialogue punctuation is an easy way to make your manuscript look professional and keep who’s saying what clear for your reader.

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  • Author interviews

    Jade May is empowering her readers

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    Jade May author

    This author of spicy contemporary romance is bringing pleasure out of the shadows.

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Hi there!
Hi there!

I'm Penny, a writer and editor. On this blog I share writing tips, editing advice and interviews with authors to get you inspired. Read more

 
Recent Posts
  • How to respond to structural edits
  • Rose Monroe is raising the stakes with her Mafia romance series
  • Breaking up is hard to do
  • Diane Hester is reshaping the past with fiction
  • How to make your dialogue shine
Categories
  • Author interviews
  • Editing
  • How-to
  • Proofreading
  • Writing

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The funniest things can trip you up when you’re ta The funniest things can trip you up when you’re tackling copyedits. This post is designed to save you on those days you’re googling ‘show words on T-shirt fiction’ and getting zero helpful results. Save it now and sign up to my newsletter for practical tips like this every fortnight! Oh, and for more help on the text message situation, I’ve got a verrrry popular blog post on my website. Head to my bio for the link. #editing #copyediting #formatting
Thoughts I’ve had while sipping my daily coffee la Thoughts I’ve had while sipping my daily coffee lately… Authors, do any of these hit home? Let me know in the comments! ☕️ #writing #editing #writingadvice
PSA to all my writer friends… If you want your man PSA to all my writer friends… If you want your manuscript to look professional for editing or submission, these small formatting tweaks go a loooong way. They show you understand industry conventions, care about your editor/agent/publisher’s eyes, AND the chapter heading style makes it super easy to navigate your file, which is a win for everyone.  Bonus tip: Please don’t bother with special fonts or colours for things like letters or fictional newspaper articles etc. They’re hard to read and can corrupt easily. Leave it for your book designer!  Double bonus tip: Download my free DIY Editing Cheat Sheet for more quick and easy tweaks.
I talk a lot about what I will do in my edits, but I talk a lot about what I will do in my edits, but sometimes what I’m not doing says just as much! Here are a few of my editing don’ts, in case you’re wondering what really happens when you hand your words over… ✍️ #editing #writersofig

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