Tony Lyttle

I’m not sure you can, or should, avoid perfectionism. Yes, by all means, when you are scribbling down your first draft, avoid it certainly. But not when doing your major edit. (You said ‘revising’ so maybe you’re not editing yet.) But when you are, it’s the perfect word or phrase that you’re searching for and nothing less should satisfy.
Those…[Read more]

If it’s on Google it MUST be correct!!!
But it doesn’t really matter, if, within the context of what you write, it IS correct. As long as you “hang a lantern” as Harry Bingham of Jericho Writers, puts it, your readers will believe you. Go for it!

Yes, but… Who would repeatedly ring a number that kept going to voicemail? Some might try twice but no more than that, surely.

And I suspect that perhaps the caller is no longer in a position to make repeat calls any more than the receiver is able to answer, but I’m just guessing.

I still think the simplest answer is to establish early on that…[Read more]

It sounds a wonderful last line and conjures up all sorts of possible scenarios; I can understand why you want to be able to use it. I wonder whether you can, though.If, as Daed suggests, you can prove it works by testing turning off your own voicemail, fine, but I suspect phone companies have a system that will automatically disconnect a call…[Read more]

Ah yes. The previous line makes all the difference. I think it works fine.

Crossed with you, Jonathan.

At face value, John, to me it means the opposite. “Never regret not taking the adventurous decisions.”
The things you didn’t do? Maybe they were missed opportunities, but maybe not. Maybe they were best left alone. It’s all water under the bridge now, so there’s no point in spending time and effort on regretting what might have been.

To mean…[Read more]

Write on, Girl! Terrific news. Well done.

Thanks, again, for all the good advice and reasoning, too.

Thanks again for all the advice, guys.
It’s clear I should stick with “A Lyttle Goes a Long Way”.

But the subtitle:
The Improbable Tale of an Ulster Storyteller
The Improbable Life of an Ulster Storyteller

The Remarkable Tale… or Life…
The Extraordinary Tale… or Life…

or some other type of Tale… or Life…?

Further thanks to Kate, Kaz and John. It seems I really ought to stick with my working title. So how about:

A LYTTLE GOES A LONG WAY
The extraordinary life of an Ulster Storyteller

Or is it better without a subtitle?

Thanks, Squidge. No, I do like the original title (You should see the length of the list of “Lyttle” puns I rejected before choosing this one! There’s already a completely unrelated book out there called “Lyttle by Lyttle”, my first thought.) I just wondered if I could grasp readers attention without using his name. Maybe I’m worrying needlessly.…[Read more]

OK, thanks for the feedback GG

OK, so I could still go with “A Lyttle goes a long way”. I agree it’s a nice pun, although any pun could put some people off, I suppose. I was hoping to avoid using his name in the title as though it is his name, alone, that makes it worth buying the book – and if it doesn’t happen to ring a bell with you, why would you buy it?

Would this revised…[Read more]

Thanks Gipps. THe working title is better, eh? Perhaps you three are right. But jaw-dropping is a strong word; thanks for that.

Thanks, Squidge, for your insightful comments. Interesting that the working title would catch your eye without even knowing about WG Lyttle. I agree the other bit wasn’t really a strapline – more part of the blurb, as you say.

Bella, I love the idea of ‘Hold the Front Page.’ Unfortunately it would be anachronistic; back then the front page was…[Read more]

Terrific news, Philippa. Congratulations!

Very interesting to read this, Daed. I’m looking forward to the next parts. Congrats on your honesty and willingness to share. It should be very helpful for all of us.