February and march 2025 updates

We’re currently having a lovely long spell of sunshine here in Snowdonia, which is making me want to spend every possible moment outside. I’ve taken the baby on a couple of delightful walks in the hills – a bit easier said than done because he is heavy, but it’s been great to get out and I’m trying to build up my ability to carry him so that we can hopefully try some nice long mountain days this summer. We’ve managed a couple of beach sunsets, and I’ve even made some plans to go climbing! Outside! On actual rock!

​Summer is generally when my reading and writing time drops off massively in favour of being outside allll the time, but with a baby around, there’s going to be less of a switch over than normal this year. I’m trying to keep my expectations for the next few months pretty low and just try to fit climbing in whenever I can. And in the meantime, I’ll make the most of not completely abandoning writing for a few months like I normally end up doing!
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writing updates

​My baby is in nursery for a couple of days a week, so I’ve been making the most of having a bit of headspace to get some writing things ticked off. I have a few short stories which I’d had some helpful feedback on and just needed to finalise before submitting; I’m always amazed at how utterly painful it can be to edit my own work when I am literally paid to edit other people’s writing. The latter is so, so much easier! But over the last few weeks I’ve made some good progress in getting things finished off and submitted. I’m enjoying writing so much at the moment – maybe because the time still feels so precious after a year in baby-land.

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reading updates

​I’ve just finished reading The Overstory by Richard Powers – just an utterly incredible novel. I was reading it in hardback which is huge, and as nearly all of my reading time at the moment is whilst a baby is snoozing on me, it took me ages to get through it just due to the sheer logistics of how to physically read it! It’s really unlike me to have a book on the go over several weeks (and whilst reading other fiction books), but this slow pace ended up feeling like the perfect match for such a huge, arching story. It’s going to take me a while to fully process this one, I think, but I do know that I will absolutely be reading other titles by Richard Powers. What a writer.

I’ve managed to almost entirely replace scrolling time with reading time over the last couple of months, and thus have read loads of books! Some other titles worth mentioning include Hagstone by Sinead Gleeson (loved the remote and slightly haunting setting); The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (another one with a fascinating use of setting – also, Patchett’s writing is always so good); The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (cosy fantasy, all very chilled and enjoyable), and The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (pretty much the opposite of cosy fantasy and should have come with a good few trigger warnings – but all the violence is very easily skippable, thankfully). I also chose to DNF on a memoir which I’d been keen to read, but which didn’t quite grab me as I’d expected and felt a bit more depressing that I was up for. This year I am wholeheartedly embracing leaving books unfinished if I don’t love them. Life is too short and my TBR list too long.

​Up next: I’ve been looking forward to a re-read of Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season for a while; the fifth title was released at the end of February, but I had a busy few weeks and knew I was going to be grumpy if I had to squeeze in re-reading such an addictive series around other life stuff. The next couple of weeks are quieter, so I’ve just started it and am already having a brilliant time.

Shannon released a revised edition of the earlier books in the series recently, and if you’re interested in writing, it’s a really fascinating exercise to compare the new version of The Bone Season with the earlier version of it. The worldbuilding is much more expertly woven in now, and you can really notice how much the pace has tightened up in response. It’s also just really interesting to get a glimpse into how a skilled and experienced writer like Shannon approaches the editing process, and in what flaws she’s noticed in her own work and decided to change.

(If you’ve got any thoughts on any of the above titles or want to recommend me a book, please do leave a comment or send me an email – I am always delighted to talk about books!)

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editing updates

​I celebrated my return to work with a lovely copyedit on a delightful nonfiction nature book. I’d worked with the author for a couple of rounds of developmental editing, and it was such a joy to see the manuscript in its final shape.

I then ended up having a few more weeks off! Getting the baby settled into nursery has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for all of us, so I decided not to book any work in until the start of May so that I could keep his nursery sessions short if needed rather than feeling pressured due to work deadlines. This was definitely the right decision for all of us, but from the start of May he’s got regular nursery hours and I’m back to being at my desk four days a week. I’m really excited to get back into a routine and to get stuck back in with some brilliant projects: I've got a couple of big fantasy novels lined up for developmental editing and copy editing over the next couple of months.

Although some months in my diary are already fully booked for full-length manuscript edits, I always allow a bit of space for shorter projects which might appear last minute, like short stories or essays or coaching sessions. Please feel very free to drop me an email with any editing or coaching enquiries! I’m always happy to discuss what your next steps could be or what level of editing you’re looking for. If I’m not a good fit for your manuscript or I don’t have availability in the timescale you’re looking for, I can point you to trusted (and lovely) editing colleagues who might be better placed to work with you.