Month: Sep 2015

Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 03.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Word Choice5 Comments

Many writers welcome the sharing of ideas that might improve our craft. So, let's chop the fat from our writing. Make it lean and trim. Readers will thank us. In this series, I'll look at some common redundancies and other questionable writing devices. But, reading this and nodding wisely in agreement won't do. We need …

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Running for ME/CFS no. 53

On By stuartakenIn Author, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Running2 Comments

One week today at this time I'll be recovering, hopefully with a local pint and some tasty food, after running the 13.1 miles of the Great North Run along the roads from Newcastle Upon Tyne to the seafront at South Shields. I've done all the training. Run a good many miles along local roads and …

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Nine, by Drew Wagar, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Fiction, Review

This is a science fiction short based on the Oolite space trading game. No, I'd never heard of it, either. But you don't need to be familiar with this created Ooniverse to understand and enjoy this clever tale. It's a multi-layered piece, with many themes, in spite of its brevity. But it can also be …

Continue reading Nine, by Drew Wagar, Reviewed.

The Man Whom the Trees Loved, by Algernon Blackwood, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Fiction, Review2 Comments

Modern readers may find this short novel too wordy, which is a shame, as it's a well-told story. But it is undeniably written in the style of its age, with a good deal of description and not a great amount of action. The central characters are all very fully drawn and their interactions are beautifully …

Continue reading The Man Whom the Trees Loved, by Algernon Blackwood, Reviewed.

Running for ME/CFS no. 52

On By stuartakenIn Author, charity, Fundraising, ME/CFS, Progress, Running2 Comments

Today, I’ve made the last training run before the actual race. For the remainder of the days between now and 13th September, I’m supposed to ‘rest’ the muscles and build energy for the race itself. This means some shortish walks only, to keep the joints moving and feed some work into the muscles without causing …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 02.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Word Choice, Word Use

Many writers welcome the sharing of ideas that might improve our craft. So, let's chop the fat from our writing. Make it lean and trim. Readers will thank us. In this series, I'll look at some common redundancies. (I had hoped someone perspicacious might point out that the first post title in this series used …

Continue reading Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 02.