Last week, as the result of a survey conducted by The Royal Foundation, the Duchess of Cambridge highlighted the importance of early childhood experiences. The UK study, which is the largest ever run, revealed that only 1 in 4 parents understand the critical importance of nurture in early childhood. The Duchess of Cambridge revealed the consequences of poor care during…
I’ve been working from home for the last 7 years, both self-employed and fully employed. With practice and a solid routine, I’ve made it work for me and I’m the most productive I’ve ever been. I don’t waste endless hours in meetings about other meetings—the results of which could have been summed up in a brief email. I don’t spend…
Many readers hold the belief that a book will be more accurate than a newspaper, magazine article or a blog. With so much ‘fake news’ around, people really don’t know who to trust, but most still have faith in non-fiction authors. However, it’s no secret that fact-checking has never been standard practice in the publishing industry, which has faced its…
‘The creative adult is the child who survived.’ — Ursula Leguin People often tell me, ‘I’m just not creative.’ This certainly isn’t true. How many children have you heard of that do not want to draw, paint or build things? We’re all born creative, it’s just that over the years, pressure to earn money, education and social environments erode the…
In these modern days of apps, spellcheckers and predictive text, we should all be able to write perfectly, shouldn’t we? Unfortunately, it’s not the case and some apps can actually make it worse (see my previous post on Why Grammarly isn’t the answer.) The sciencey stuff As writing something purposeful is a high-level task, your brain focuses on the more…
Are you an aspiring crime writer who needs information on forensics? Here’s how to get the facts you need and where to find them. Whether you’re writing your first crime novel or you’re an established pro, you’ll need to be up-to-date on forensic techniques. It’s impossible to cover crime without a robust understanding of the evidence that’s available and how…
Do you find it hard to write good place descriptions? Try these techniques to write compelling fictional settings that your reader can’t resist. Good fiction comes in many shapes and sizes but the one thing all great novels have in common is that they pitch their descriptions just right. Describing a place or a setting is essential to draw the…
Do you use Grammarly to help with your written content? Discover why using Grammarly is a bad idea and the problems it can cause. No matter how good your writing skills are, it’s always useful to have a second pair of eyes check over your work. And if that second pair of eyes happens to be an expert in grammar…
Have you checked the spelling and grammar on your website? A single spelling error could be catastrophic – read more about the cost below. In the modern world, a digital presence is essential, regardless of the industry you’re in. If you don’t have a website, you’ll simply be handing the competitive edge to your rivals as many new customers won’t…