Month: Mar 2016

First Draft of the Mars Book Finished.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Mars, Progress10 Comments

Much to my surprise, I finished the first draft of the current WIP, yesterday. This science fiction novel set on Mars currently has no title, other than ‘the Mars book’, which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly inspiring! Why was I surprised? I write as a pantster, so I don’t work to a plot, merely a …

Continue reading First Draft of the Mars Book Finished.

Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 42.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice1 Comment

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Enter in: Since you can’t enter out (that would be an exit), let’s leave it out, eh? e.g. Jenny was prepared to enter in the dragon’s den …

Continue reading Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 42.

Mothers’ Day: A Best Friend Remembered.

On By stuartakenIn Author7 Comments

In May this year, it’ll be 52 years since my mother died. That was 2 days after my 16th birthday and my memory of the day is, perhaps understandably, a little hazy. She was the victim of an idiot driver who reversed down a road in a place hidden from oncoming traffic. My father, driving …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 41.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Eliminate entirely: To eliminate something is to eradicate it, therefore ‘entirely’ or ‘completely’ or any other tautological qualifier is just that; tautology. e.g. The leader said, ‘If …

Continue reading Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 41.

Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review1 Comment

Ray Bradbury was one of my earliest writer heroes. I read a lot of his work when I was a teenager and young man. Along with Asimov, Clarke, Aldiss, Heinlein and Wyndham he was one of the authors who created my love of science fiction. I hadn’t come across this collection of essays aimed at …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 40.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice

Writers enjoy sharing ideas to improve their craft. Here are some tricks to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the absence of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Dwindle down: Can you dwindle up? I don’t think so. e.g. Attendances at football matches have dwindled down since clubs started paying players ludicrous amounts and charging …

Continue reading Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 40.