Penny Carroll

Writer & Editor

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  • How-to

    Who’s talking? Finding the right point-of-view character for your scene

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    If you’re writing a dual or multi-POV novel, read this for tips on choosing the right character to lead pivotal scenes.

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  • Author interviews

    “I really want readers to fall in love with every character” – Emma Mugglestone on writing a small-town romance series

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    Meet the author of the gorgeous new small-town romance novel The Reality of Us.

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  • Editing, How-to, Writing

    How to format text messages in fiction

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    A woman standing in front of a window looks at her phone screen as though reading a text message.

    An easy guide to depicting dialogue as text messages in a contemporary fiction novel.   Text messages are a part of everyday life so if you’re writing contemporary fiction there’s a good chance you’ll want to include a few in your story. But how do you format them? Should you use quote marks? Do you […]

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  • Editing, How-to

    Introducing the vocative comma

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    This tiny piece of punctuation saves lives. One of the best things about punctuation is that when it’s used correctly it’s invisible in plain sight. It’s like driving a road you know so well that you get home without recalling the journey. But when it’s misused? Those misplaced commas, semicolons and dashes can be jarring! […]

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  • Author interviews

    “I want my characters to be relatable and authentic” – Stephanie Hazeltine on writing domestic thrillers 

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    As a primary school teacher, Stephanie Hazeltine always thought she’d write children’s books one day – but when she started writing, it was the heart-racing thriller genre that got her hooked. She’s just released her second domestic thriller novel, You Weren’t Watching, which is book two in her Suburban Secrets series. I was delighted to […]

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  • Author interviews

    “I love to push limits in romance” – Natalie Murray on writing historical fiction, switching to contemporary romance, and how editing brings out her best

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    Natalie Murray is an Australian author to watch. If you’re a fan of historical romance, you might already know her Emmie and the Tudor King series, which follows a young woman’s time slip into Tudor England and entanglement with a (fictional) fiery ruler. It’s swoon-worthy, passionate, transportive reading. Now, Natalie has returned to the present […]

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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
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  • Editing
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  • 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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