Misspellings aren’t a new phenomenon. They’ve happened to the best of us and have crept in even when more than one set of eyes has pored over a document. But what is interesting is that misspellings are just so pervasive today. So maybe we all need to simplify things.

In a year that looked set to be truly awful for everything writing and publishing related, I received the heart-warming news of 4 authors I'd helped with development and editing work, winning publishing deals.

Writers hear a lot about the necessity of self-editing. How crucial it is, how empowering it is and how it’s the best way to develop your work to a better level … a publishable level. But is self-editing a help or a hindrance to writing? Authors Kaye Dobbie, T.M. Clark and Nadia Jamal talk about their self-editing process and how this affects their writing.

Have you completed your manuscript and written those two magical words – ‘The End’? Are you now feeling that you’re ready to explore whether it’s strong enough to submit, or to begin the journey of self-publishing? Your first step is getting a professional to help you develop your work. But how do you know whether you need a manuscript assessment or a structural edit?

At a time when we know almost everyone in the arts sector is living on a prayer because they don’t qualify for financial assistance unless they are a sole trader, writers have been working furiously through this crisis.

‘Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.’ Lao Tzu