H Noss

You don’t have to be as good as your favourite writer. Your writing still has worth.

#WritingCommunity #AmWriting

I proofread it before publishing! Every edition put out is proofread again, because of typesetting and formatting more than anything.

Not to add to the discourse, but…

It’s ‘toe the line,’ not ‘tow the line.’
It’s ‘free rein,’ and not ‘free reign.’
It’s ‘eke out,’ not ‘eek out.’
It’s ‘sleight of hand,’ not ‘slight of hand.’
It's ‘Anchors aweigh,’ and not ‘Anchor's away!’

Northanger Abbey Celebrate Jane Austen's 250th birthday with this beautiful gift edition of her ingenious satirical swipe at the gothic novel. It comes with foiled covers, marbled endpapers, sprayed edges, beautiful p...

I had the incredible honour of working on the 250th anniversary edition of Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen this year, and today is publishing day!

www.penguin.co.uk/books/479905...

You might feel like your writing today isn’t your best, but you are putting your best into your writing.

Struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing. It doesn’t mean your writing is bad. It just means you might need some support.

#WritingCommunity #AmWriting

How to find a literary agent in the UK | H Noss Proofreads Everything you need to know about how to find a literary agent in the UK and to start querying literary agents can be found here.

I've just updated my list of literary agencies in the UK, so if you're not sure where to start or you're running out of UK literary agents to query, here you go!

You'll find the list at the bottom of the page. There are currently 18 agencies there!

hnossproofreads.co.uk/how-to-find-...

Last week, I officially passed the halfway mark for the hours I need to upgrade to Professional Member of @the-ciep.bsky.social!

I'm at 256 hours of proofreading for publishers, since April 2023.

70 of those hours have been since January this year, so I'm on target for upgrading by December 2027!

There are few things more alarming to a proofreader than a "clean" manuscript with minimal changes to make.

It's a constant battle of "am I missing something really obvious?" and overthinking the most ridiculous possibilities when it comes to consistency and spelling.

How to write a query letter to a literary agent | H Noss Proofreads Writing your first query letter for a novel? Here's how to write a query letter for a literary agent, with a template and sample provided.

Read more about how to write a query letter here: hnossproofreads.co.uk/how-to-write...

#AmQuerying #LiteraryAgents

A query letter is a way of introducing yourself and your novel to a literary agent. It’s the first thing an agent reads when they receive your submission. It should answer the questions:

What is your novel about?
Why do you think this literary agent should be interested in your novel?
Who are you?

A writing space doesn't have to be an office or even a whole room. Experiment with different places until you find the most comfortable and productive spot that works for your brain!

Your writing space is wherever you feel you can comfortably and productively write. It could be a desk, a seat in your living room, a local library, your favourite cafe, or even a bench.

#Writing #WritingCommunity

Freelancing is sometimes needing to work through weekends to guarantee that you can meet a deadline, especially if you know you have appointments and other responsibilities coming up.

Non-Binary Awareness Week is for us.

It's our week for reminding people that we exist, but it is also our week for embracing ourselves, for loving ourselves, and for finding ourselves.

#NonBinaryAwarenessWeek

A graphic with the non-binary colours that says "You are seen." Behind the white text are three blobs in purple, black, and yellow, on top of a white background.

A graphic with the non-binary colours that says "You are loved." Behind the white text are three blobs in purple, black, and yellow, on top of a white background.

A graphic with the non-binary colours that says "You are supported." Behind the white text are three blobs in purple, black, and yellow, on top of a white background.

A graphic with the non-binary colours that says "You are valued." Behind the white text are three blobs in purple, black, and yellow, on top of a white background.

My fellow enbies, I hope your week has been kind to you.

I hope that you have felt seen, in that more people have remembered we exist.

I hope you have felt loved.

I hope you have felt supported.

I hope you have felt valued.

#NonBinary

achillean = someone who is attracted to men and masculine non-binary people.

sapphic = someone who is attracted to women and feminine non-binary people.

enbian = a non-binary person who is attracted to non-binary people.

#NonBinaryAwarenessWeek #LGBTQIA

Non-binary terms more people should be aware of:

enby = short for "non-binary", also used as a noun, so you might say "I'm an enby" instead of "I'm a non-binary person".

joyfriend = a gender-neutral alternative to "boyfriend/girlfriend".

#NonBinaryAwarenessWeek #LGBTQIA

A quick and easy way to alienate your non-binary readers: unnecessarily reinforcing the westernised gender binary.

"Everyone – men and women..."

"Men and women alike..."

"Female voice" "Male voice"

"Men, women, boys, girls, all of them..."

"Opposite sex/gender..."

#Writing #Authors

Used as an umbrella term for all people outside of the binary gender identities, as well as a gender identity itself.

Some gender identities that fall under the non-binary umbrella: agender, androgyne, bigender, demigender, genderfluid, genderflux, neutrois, polygender.

#NonBinaryAwarenessWeek

Definition: non-binary

A person whose gender does not entirely fit into the binary categories of gender (man or woman) in modern western society. Someone who does not identify as being solely and completely a man or woman.

#LGBTQIA #NonBinaryAwarenessWeek

Love it when I'm offered the next book in a series!

If the heat is affecting your motivation to write today, it's okay!

Try small tasks that will help you later, like:
* outlining the next scene
* character development planning
* mood boarding or vision boarding
* tidying your writing space

#UK #Writing

Spring romance writing prompts | H Noss Proofreads These spring romance writing prompts will warm up your romantic creativity, giving you the chance to write something new.

It might now be summer, but I've put together 22 writing prompts about spring romance, for those of us suffering in the heat but want to write about last season.

Find all the prompts here: hnossproofreads.co.uk/spring-roman...

#Writing #WritingPrompts

When everything feels bad, think about one thing you like in your writing. Focus on that feeling.

#Writing #Writers

Nobody expects you to be perfect. Everyone is just finding their way.

#Writing #WritingLife

Here's a quick round up of all of the blog posts and writing prompts I've posted between April and June 2025!

ko-fi.com/post/Blog-Po...

194 androgynous names for characters | H Noss Proofreads Names are incredibly important to writers and readers. These 194 androgynous names offer plenty of choice for memorable character names.

My latest blog post has even more gender-neutral names!

This time, I have 194 androgynous names to choose from for your characters. I've divided them into 3 categories: English names, unique names, and nature-based names.

Check them out here: hnossproofreads.co.uk/194-androgyn...

About to host my first solo event, and it's a Pride webinar for writers!

I'm hoping for you! I hate the fact that everything takes so long and how much waiting is involved.