Author: Helena Fairfax

Freelance editor, romance writer and insatiable reader of books!
Appearance is everything – or is it? How much character description should a writer give?
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Appearance is everything – or is it? How much character description should a writer give?

Helena Fairfax15 Comments

Another month, another authors’ Round Robin. And another through-provoking question in our writers’ group… What do you define in your writing about your characters and what do you leave to the reader’s intuition? Is there anything you never tell about a character? There’s a LOT to these questions but they got me thinking in particular…… Continue reading Appearance is everything – or is it? How much character description should a writer give?

Making Readers Care: 9 Tips on Crafting Compelling Characters
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Making Readers Care: 9 Tips on Crafting Compelling Characters

Helena Fairfax25 Comments

This month’s authors’ Round Robin is all about character, and the inspiration for the topic comes from author Connie Vines. Jane Eyre, James Bond, Harry Potter, Fagin, Bridget Jones and Anne of Green Gables – human beings are always interested in the story of other human beings, and we remember the characters in a story…… Continue reading Making Readers Care: 9 Tips on Crafting Compelling Characters

8 books for romantic fiction writers for pleasure and research
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8 books for romantic fiction writers for pleasure and research

Helena Fairfax11 Comments

Another month, another authors’ Round Robin! And this month our topic is set by author Rhobin Courtright… How much reading do you do, both for pleasure and for a work in progress? The answer is… a lot! Like nearly all writers I know, I have at least one book on the go all the time.…… Continue reading 8 books for romantic fiction writers for pleasure and research

The positive messages of romance novels
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The positive messages of romance novels

Helena Fairfax23 Comments

Another month of the year has gone by, and a terrible month it’s been, both for the world, and for me personally. So I’m especially glad this month to welcome the topic of our authors’ Round Robin, set by author Rhobin Lee Courtright. What messages do your books hold for your readers? I write –…… Continue reading The positive messages of romance novels

Fiction writers and covid, plus 8 recommended pandemic novels
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Fiction writers and covid, plus 8 recommended pandemic novels

Helena Fairfax26 Comments

It’s the very first authors’ Round Robin of the year, and it’s another thought-provoking topic… …this month set by author Connie Vines: How are you dealing with the COVID pandemic in your contemporary novels/short stories? I try to be an optimist but have to admit I find it very depressing that at the start of…… Continue reading Fiction writers and covid, plus 8 recommended pandemic novels

#Respectromfic! In praise of romance, with ten of my favourite romantic novels of the year
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#Respectromfic! In praise of romance, with ten of my favourite romantic novels of the year

Helena Fairfax14 Comments

It’s time for another post in praise of romantic fiction. If you’ve been following my blog for a while you might say, ‘Not another article explaining why romance novels are worthy of respect. Do we really need one?’ Sadly, it seems we still do! :( At the end of November, Andrew Holgate, literary editor of…… Continue reading #Respectromfic! In praise of romance, with ten of my favourite romantic novels of the year

helena fairfax, freelance editor Formatting your manuscript made easy: some great tips on using Word styles
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Formatting your manuscript made easy: some great tips on using Word styles

Helena Fairfax2 Comments

In my work as a freelance fiction editor for self-publishing authors, and as a reader for the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, I sometimes receive manuscripts that aren’t as professionally formatted as they could be. (This is understandable, as no one knows there’s a ‘best way to format a manuscript’ until they’re told!) Image…… Continue reading Formatting your manuscript made easy: some great tips on using Word styles

6 ways to avoid repeating the same old words and phrases in your writing
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6 ways to avoid repeating the same old words and phrases in your writing

Helena Fairfax18 Comments

It’s August, and time for another authors’ Round Robin. This month the topic has been set by author Rhobin Courtright. Do you have any character habits or favourite words that always crop up in your writing? The short and simple answer: yes! The difficulty is, spotting this repetition when it happens. My husband always reads…… Continue reading 6 ways to avoid repeating the same old words and phrases in your writing

Girls Succeed – a book to inspire, entertain and empower girls
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Girls Succeed – a book to inspire, entertain and empower girls

Helena Fairfax11 Comments

Little Sable Point, one of Michigan’s many lighthouses My first ever novel, The Silk Romance, was published by a small independent publisher, MuseItUp Publishing, in Canada. Through MIU I made some great friends across the pond, including Marsha West, a romantic suspense writer from Texas; Susan Bernhardt, who writes cosy mysteries and lives in Wisconsin;…… Continue reading Girls Succeed – a book to inspire, entertain and empower girls

Classics, crime and romance: 14 books set in Norfolk and Suffolk
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Classics, crime and romance: 14 books set in Norfolk and Suffolk

Helena Fairfax8 Comments

This has been a year of covid restrictions and lots of us are holidaying at home in the UK. Later this year I’m going to Suffolk – a county I’ve hardly explored at all. There’s so much to explore here, I’m not bothered at all about not being able to go abroad. I started to…… Continue reading Classics, crime and romance: 14 books set in Norfolk and Suffolk