My favourite writing goofs Kia ora, Over the years, I’ve picked up all sorts of goofs in my editing work. Here are a few I remember: a poisonous snake instead of a venomous snake a venomous frog instead of a poisonous frog the wrong rugby player scoring a match-winning try a racing driver winning the wrong race a prime minister’s name spelled incorrectly throughout the whole manuscript…

My favourite writing goofs

Kia ora, Over the years, I’ve picked up all sorts of goofs in my editing work. Here are a few I remember: a poisonous snake instead of a venomous snake a venomous frog instead of a poisonous frog the wrong rugby player scoring a match-winning try a racing driver winning…

What are your favourite writing tools? Kia ora, How do you wrangle the tens of thousands of words that go into your book? It’s easy to manage a few pages, but when you start getting into chapters and you’re scrolling and scrolling to find the spot where you want to add a detail, the whole writing thing gets a little complicated. A lot of writers use Google Docs.

What are your favourite writing tools?

Kia ora, How do you wrangle the tens of thousands of words that go into your book? It’s easy to manage a few pages, but when you start getting into chapters and you’re scrolling and scrolling to find the spot where you want to add a detail, the whole writing…

Editing lingo: What is a pass and what is a round? If you’re talking to an editor about getting your manuscript edited, you’ll likely hear us talk about how many rounds of editing we provide and how many passes of your manuscript we’ll do.  They’re not the same thing, so knowing the difference will help you understand what you’re getting for your money. What is a pass? A pass is a single review of the manuscript where I do…

Editing lingo: What is a pass and what is a round?

If you’re talking to an editor about getting your manuscript edited, you’ll likely hear us talk about how many rounds of editing we provide and how many passes of your manuscript we’ll do.  They’re not the same thing, so knowing the difference…

What do you love doing the most? Kia ora, Last weekend I put on my tramping boots and went for a loooong walk. I didn’t really need my boots, but wearing them made the walk feel more like an adventure. Plus there were cow pats everywhere. I go for a short walk most lunchtimes, and I do a circuit of the Botanic Garden with an ice cream every week or so.

What do you love doing the most?

Kia ora, Last weekend I put on my tramping boots and went for a loooong walk. I didn’t really need my boots, but wearing them made the walk feel more like an adventure. Plus there were cow pats everywhere. I go for a short walk most lunchtimes, and I do a circuit…

Word choices matter Kia ora, I read an excellent article on The Spinoff last week: Why the word ‘tribe’ makes some Māori uneasy. It’s a great read, and I think even if you’re not from New Zealand, you’ll still find it interesting and valuable. It got me thinking about how word choice matters so much. You’ve heard me talk about that before. I often encourage writers to be more direct, choose stronger words, go for words that increase immersion and depth.

Word choices matter

Kia ora, I read an excellent article on The Spinoff last week: Why the word ‘tribe’ makes some Māori uneasy. It’s a great read, and I think even if you’re not from New Zealand, you’ll still find it interesting and valuable. It got me thinking about how word choice matters so…

Type 2 fun Kia ora, Do you know about the fun scale? It’s a way of categorising experiences based on how easy to hard the experience was. Type 1 fun is a joyous adventure that you don’t want to end. Type 2 fun is difficult, challenging, or arduous in the moment, and you might want to quit, but when you look back, you appreciate what you did.

Type 2 fun

Kia ora, Do you know about the fun scale? It’s a way of categorising experiences based on how easy to hard the experience was. Type 1 fun is a joyous adventure that you don’t want to end. Type 2 fun is difficult, challenging, or arduous in the moment, and you might want to quit, but…

If we only had 15 minutes together Kia ora, If I could sit with you and talk about your manuscript, here’s what I’d say: First, congratulations on writing a whole damn book! That’s huge. The hardest part, in my opinion, is DONE. But that doesn’t mean you’re done-done. Getting the story out is just the first stage. But that's okay. Publishing is a marathon, not a sprint.

If we only had 15 minutes together

Kia ora, If I could sit with you and talk about your manuscript, here’s what I’d say: First, congratulations on writing a whole damn book! That’s huge. The hardest part, in my opinion, is DONE. But that doesn’t mean you’re done-done. Getting the story out is just…

The effect “before” and “after” have on your travel writing (aka timeline nudges) Let’s start with an anecdote: When I arrived in the clearing, I set up my tent before putting my sleeping bag inside, then got my stove boiling so I could make a cup of Milo. I went for a walk to collect dry wood after I had warmed up, before lighting a camp fire. There’s a lot going on here. It’s confusing and wordy, and to be honest, boring.

The effect “before” and “after” have on your travel writing (aka timeline nudges)

Let’s start with an anecdote: When I arrived in the clearing, I set up my tent before putting my sleeping bag inside, then got my stove boiling so I could make a cup of Milo. I went for a walk to collect dry wood…

Blowing out the cobwebs Kia ora, I love my job, but even I need to get out of my office and off the property every now and then. New places and new experiences help blow out the cobwebs and get ideas going. I know you know this. So last week I went to the Catlins for a few days. This part of Southland is one of my favourites: native forest goes right down to the sea, the petrichor and salt fill your nostrils, and because this is the Catlins, there are waterfalls…

Blowing out the cobwebs

Kia ora, I love my job, but even I need to get out of my office and off the property every now and then. New places and new experiences help blow out the cobwebs and get ideas going. I know you know this. So last week I went to the Catlins for a few days. This part of…

Going for a walk helped me figure out a big issue Kia ora, I wasn’t at my desk, I wasn’t on the clock, I wasn’t actively thinking about the story at all, but the clichéd bolt of lightning hit me as I heaved my way up a hill, getting blasted by a full-on southerly straight from Antarctica: the tense was wrong. I’d been working on a travel memoir for a few days, and while the prose was strong, something was off.

Going for a walk helped me figure out a big issue

Kia ora, I wasn’t at my desk, I wasn’t on the clock, I wasn’t actively thinking about the story at all, but the clichéd bolt of lightning hit me as I heaved my way up a hill, getting blasted by a full-on southerly straight from Antarctica: the…

Sometimes you need a gentle nudge Kia ora, Mum handed me a $5 note and a pen and said, “Go up and say hi!” She gave me a gentle nudge on the back. A few metres in front of me was Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first two people to stand on Mount Everest. We were at the opening of Rakiura National Park, and Ed was part of the delegation.

Sometimes you need a gentle nudge

Kia ora, Mum handed me a $5 note and a pen and said, “Go up and say hi!” She gave me a gentle nudge on the back. A few metres in front of me was Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first two people to stand on Mount Everest. We were at the opening of Rakiura National…

Readers only see the finished product Kia ora, When people pick up a book in a bookshop or library, they see the final product. They see your name on the cover and think, cool, this looks like a great book, I’ll check it out. A great book! Northbound: Four seasons of solitude on Te Araroa, by Naomi Arnold. They don’t see the weeks (months, years) that went into writing the story.

Readers only see the finished product

Kia ora, When people pick up a book in a bookshop or library, they see the final product. They see your name on the cover and think, cool, this looks like a great book, I’ll check it out. A great book! Northbound: Four seasons of solitude on Te Araroa, by…

Finding my 2026 rhythm Kia ora, It’s taken a couple of weeks, but I finally feel like I’m finding my 2026 rhythm. How about you? Thank you for being here with me for another year of adventures and adventure writing! Over the holidays I mulled over a few ideas for how I can better help you get into the writing groove and refine your storytelling.

Finding my 2026 rhythm

Kia ora, It’s taken a couple of weeks, but I finally feel like I’m finding my 2026 rhythm. How about you? Thank you for being here with me for another year of adventures and adventure writing! Over the holidays I mulled over a few ideas for how I can better help you get into…

2025 travel and adventure reading round-up Kia ora, I’m starting 2026 by looking back on 2025. Or at least, I’m looking back on the books I read, and I read a lot! Here’s my one-ish-sentence summary of each, in the order I read them. I want to hear your opinions too, so if you’ve read any of these, reply and let me know what you thoughts!

2025 travel and adventure reading round-up

Kia ora, I’m starting 2026 by looking back on 2025. Or at least, I’m looking back on the books I read, and I read a lot! Here’s my one-ish-sentence summary of each, in the order I read them. I want to hear your opinions too, so if you’ve read any of…

Busting myths that travel & adventure writers have about editing Too many new writers let common myths about editing hold them back from working with the very people who can kick their writing up a notch. I’m taking about editors like me. Me, Deborah, a happy editor here to help! I’m not here to just check your spelling and grammar, and I’m never going to tell you that you’re a bad writer.

Busting myths that travel & adventure writers have about editing

Too many new writers let common myths about editing hold them back from working with the very people who can kick their writing up a notch. I’m taking about editors like me. Me, Deborah, a happy editor here to help! I’m not here to…

Are you a writer? Kia ora, A writer I worked with earlier in the year got in touch recently with an update. He’d just finished self publishing his first book – the book we worked on together. “I guess I’m a writer now!” he said. I shared his joy, of course! Getting that first book out is huge. But I also said that he’d been a writer before he’d hit “publish”.

Are you a writer?

Kia ora, A writer I worked with earlier in the year got in touch recently with an update. He’d just finished self publishing his first book – the book we worked on together. “I guess I’m a writer now!” he said. I shared his joy, of course! Getting that first book out is huge. But…

There are more important things to argue about than commas Kia ora, I would like to file a complaint with the manager, who is, unfortunately, me. I allowed myself to get into an argument with someone about the Oxford comma. On Facebook, no less. Who have I become. If you need a refresh, the Oxford comma (or serial comma, or series comma) is the final comma in a list: When I go walking I always pack muesli bars, M&Ms…

There are more important things to argue about than commas

Kia ora, I would like to file a complaint with the manager, who is, unfortunately, me. I allowed myself to get into an argument with someone about the Oxford comma. On Facebook, no less. Who have I become. If you need a refresh, the Oxford…

Pull your writing out of the toddler zone Kia ora, Have you ever got stuck talking to a toddler who’s telling you all about their trip to the playground and that they got to feed the ducks, and then they got chased by the ducks, and then they stood in duck poo, and then they found a stick, and then, and then, and then?  They might be cute, but their storytelling can get dull quickly.

Pull your writing out of the toddler zone

Kia ora, Have you ever got stuck talking to a toddler who’s telling you all about their trip to the playground and that they got to feed the ducks, and then they got chased by the ducks, and then they stood in duck poo, and then they found a stick, and…

Avoid boring travel narratives: six ways to bring your readers along for the ride When you’re writing for readers who aren’t your mum or best friend, you want to avoid sounding like all you’ve done is gone from a to b to c. That’s a sure-fire way to turn off readers. The best way to avoid that “I went here, then I went there” trap is to pepper in details that will make readers care.

When you’re writing for readers who aren’t your mum or best friend, you want to avoid sounding like all you’ve done is gone from a to b to c. That’s a sure-fire way to turn off readers.

Goals (and an important chicken update)

Kia ora, Good news! My sick chook is sick no more! She got that egg out! It was one of those eggs with the weird, rubbery shell. Now her comb is back to its healthy red and she’s pecking and scratching the ground with gusto. Not to induce panic on this sunny…

What editors do behind the scenes A writer admitted this to me after we’d worked together on her manuscript: she didn’t really want to work with an editor, but her writing mentor told her to, so she did. She thought editors were human spellcheckers and I’d just go through and fix her grammar. She didn’t know what editing is, what it looks like, or what it would do for her story.

A writer admitted this to me after we’d worked together on her manuscript: she didn’t really want to work with an editor, but her writing mentor told her to, so she did. She thought editors were human spellcheckers and I’d just go through and fix her grammar

What to expect from an edit No matter the type of edit you’ve had – manuscript assessment, developmental edit, or copy edit – when you receive your manuscript back from your editor, you'll still have work ahead of you. This doesn’t mean that your writing is bad or that you’ve somehow failed as a writer. This is exactly how the editing process is supposed to work.

What to expect from an edit

No matter the type of edit you’ve had – manuscript assessment, developmental edit, or copy edit – when you receive your manuscript back from your editor, you'll still have work ahead of you. This doesn’t mean that your writing is bad or that you’ve somehow failed as a…

What book editing looks like behind the scenes

Kia ora, Last week I talked about a client who was initially hesitant to work with an editor because they didn’t really get what editing is and didn’t know what it would involve. (Here’s last week’s email if you missed it.) This week I’m going to show…

Why writers don’t work with book editors

Kia ora, Why have my chickens decided that the best place to lay their eggs is under a soggy, droopy fern and not inside the hen house where the nest boxes are filled with fresh, dry saw dust? They are delightful beasties but I do question their decisions…

Let’s grab coffee

Kia ora, If we caught up over coffee together and you asked me how to go about writing your adventure book, here’s what I’d say: Keep your why fresh in your mind. Remember why you’re writing your story and why you want to share it. What message do you want to give your readers?…

How to use quotes and epigraphs You’ve probably read a book that has a quote at the start, or maybe each chapter opens with a quote. They’re called epigraphs, and their purpose is to give the reader an idea of the tone or theme the story intends to set. But did that person actually say those words? And were those words the actual words they used?

You’ve probably read a book that has a quote at the start, or maybe each chapter opens with a quote. They’re called epigraphs, and their purpose is to give the reader an idea of the tone or theme the story intends to set.

Why adverbs kill your writing The best travel and adventure writing immerses readers in the story. We feel the cold water tugging at you as you’re struggling to make a river crossing; we hear the growl as you fend off wild dogs; we feel your serenity as you experience a transcendent sunrise. That immersion happens through precise word choices, and adverbs often drain the immersion from a scene.

The best travel and adventure writing immerses readers in the story. We feel the cold water tugging at you as you’re struggling to make a river crossing; we hear the growl as you fend off wild dogs; we feel your serenity as you experience a transcendent sunrise.

The joy of maps and following along

Kia ora, A friend asked me about my editing work recently. I had great joy in explaining how I created a custom Google Map for a recent edit so I could follow the places the writer visited. For another project, I zoomed in even further and followed the adventure…

Fun in Adelaide and a mystery bird

Kia ora, Wow! Last week I ventured over to Adelaide for the Institute of Professional Editors conference. I got to meet so many of my editing friends in person for the first time! I’m still processing all the wonderful talks I attended and conversations I had,…

When do I capitalise animal names? You meet all sorts of animals on your adventures, from dogs and cats to tigers, birds, snakes and centipedes. They’re generally easy to spell, right? But what about when you get into the details, when you’re writing about Labradors, Main Coons, snow leopards, tūī, and damselflies?

You meet all sorts of animals on your adventures, from dogs and cats to tigers, birds, snakes and centipedes. They’re generally easy to spell, right? But what about when you get into the details, when you’re writing about Labradors, Main Coons, snow leopards, tūī, and damselflies?