Judy Croome: Author on the Prowl

Offers good, solid advice in an easy-to-read style. The advice may be presented in a light-hearted manner at times, but there's some important advice contained in the humour.

Each of the 38 writing mistakes was dealt with in a short separate "chapter;" you could read one or as many tips as you wanted to per sitting. I found it best to read a few tips, stop and absorb what had been said and then go back to the book later.

I found the book encouraging, useful and motivating. The points that resonated most deeply with me were:

No 33 (Don't pose and posture) – this point made me realise that my most precious commodity as a writer is my unique self; if I "pose and posture" and try to write what I think will sell, I lose the very thing that makes me the writer I am: my own voice.

No 29 (Don't hide from your feelings) - Editors have said to me that when my feeling gets to deep I "pull back" from my writing and become bogged down in technique. This tip highlighted the need for me to confront my primitive emotions in my writing.

There were many more tips that I found interesting; some didn't resonate with me at all. I'm sure each reader will find some point that becomes his or her personal favourite.