June Update

Hello hello! Welcome to my bimonthly update with all my writing, reading and editing news.

This newsletter is actually about a month late; the transition back to work after a lovely long spell of maternity leave has felt pretty intense, and I’ve ended up dropping a few non-urgent tasks. I’m really grateful to be returning to a job that I love so much, and I can’t say how much I’m enjoying spending so much of my time thinking about words and stories again. That said… working and having a very energetic toddler is A Lot! Every day feels about ten hours too short, so I’ve prioritised paid work which means things like writing this newsletter have taken a bit of a backseat.

Still, I’m already finding a better balance than I had a few weeks ago, so I hope to be posting more regularly in the upcoming months.

editing updates

I’ve been busy with a line and copy edit of a fantasy novel. This one is the third instalment of a trilogy; I’ve started working with authors mid-way through a series a couple of times now, and although a mid-series change of editor is obviously not ideal, it definitely can work if needed. During an edit I’ll always compile a style sheet, which is a list of all the choices made when editing the book: things like how to style ellipses, whether we’re using single or double quotation marks, -ise or -ize endings (organise or organize), and a word list for any spelling, capitalisation or hyphenation choices made (north-west, North West or northwest). For some edits, this will include a character list to keep track of things like hair and eye colour, and there might be details about some locations used too. For this series, I’ve been sent the previous editor’s style sheet and the previous two manuscripts, and using all of these during my edit should mean that we’ve managed to avoid any inconsistencies across the trilogy.

I’ve also proofread a few short stories, and I’ve just started editing a mountaineering guidebook. The guidebook is accompanied by some absolutely stunning photos and I am trying my best not to get distracted and run off to plan a trip to the mountains. 

Although some months in my diary are already fully booked for full-length manuscript edits, I always allow a bit of space for last-minute shorter projects such as short stories 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.

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writing updates​

I was shortlisted for Moniack Mhor’s Emerging Writer 2025 Award, which I’m over the moon about. I very nearly didn’t apply for this because it just felt like such a long shot, so I’m very grateful to the judges for the confidence boost! Massive congratulations to the winner, Amy Luxton, and to all the finalists; I’m looking forward to following their work.

Just as I’ve been writing this, I’ve received a rejection for a short story that I was really hoping to find a home for. Sharing this in the spirit of keeping it honest! Writing is a rollercoaster!

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reading updates

In my last update, I had just started a re-read of Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season before reading the latest installment, The Dark Mirror. I had an absolutely brilliant time reading through this series again. I tend to favour waiting until series are finished before reading any of the instalments, so it’s rare for me to have the joy of re-reading a few familiar books with the anticipation of a new volume to finish off with. The last two books can’t come quickly enough!

I’ve also read a couple of novels by Sarah Moss (The Fell and Ghost Wall), and spent most of them amazed that I have made it this far through life without having read any of her novels. I’m sure I’ll be returning to her work.

And along with a few other editors, I’ve been working my way through the titles discussed by Kristen Tate in Novel Study, followed by Kristen’s analysis of them. This has been brilliant for pulling me to genres that I wouldn’t normally read. In the last couple of months, I’ve read Tana French’s The Searcher and Laura Dave’s The Last Thing He Told Me, both of which I enjoyed. It’s been great to discuss techniques and approaches to writing in light of these books. It’s always interesting to hear how other people have responded to things that did or didn’t work for me – it’s a brilliant reminder that ‘good writing’ is so subjective.

And I’m also slowly working my way through The Art of Punctuation by Noah Lukeman. Who knew a book about punctuation could be so interesting! That’s not sarcastic; it’s genuinely a great read (or at least, it is if you’re someone who’s interested in the nuances of punctuation – admittedly a fairly niche crowd).

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!

Happy reading and/or writing, and I look forward to sharing more in a couple of months.