This little book, like all of this author’s output, is direct, straightforward, and full of common sense corralled by her personal research and experience. Gisela Hausmann is thorough in her search for useful advice for the users of social media, especially those who write for a living. This book is no exception. Eager to pass …
Category: Author
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Last week I’d was up to 40481 words in the new book. Today, I’ve reached 51,050, so an increase of 10,569 over the week. Along the way, I’ve invented some new names for locations, introduced a few new characters to take part in the action, and hit on a very slightly different ending, which I …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Last week I had a total of 30,829 words. This week, in spite of the two-day celebration, a book review, a lunch at a local pub, a night spent watching a play on a local stage, and several longish walks through the forest, clearing fallen trees and branches to allow other walkers to get through, …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
Bleak: The First Mission, by Ian Martyn: #BookReview.
This short (10,000 words) teaser is an introduction to a new character. However, the story does have a beginning, middle and end, which makes it more satisfying than many such introductory pieces. The future envisaged in this science fiction world is, as the eponymous title suggests; bleak. The character, described as a shape shifter, is …
Continue reading Bleak: The First Mission, by Ian Martyn: #BookReview.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Last week I had a total of 18,835 words; this week’s total is 30,829, an increase of 12,000. Not bad, considering the other things that have been happening in and around my life. Only today, we had an interruption in our power supply as the local company came along to update some of the equipment …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
The Little Blue Book for Authors, by Gisela Hausmann: #BookReview.
Subtitled ’53 Dos & Don’ts Nobody is Telling You’, this short book, in common with all the author’s work, is direct and to the point. You’ll find no waffle here, no filling or puffing. It’s all simple advice, gleaned from personal experience and a research ethic that would make most of us tired just to …
Continue reading The Little Blue Book for Authors, by Gisela Hausmann: #BookReview.
Share this:
Night and Day, by Caron Allan: #BookReview.
https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B01KOSVE3Y&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_VevnAb9AQT40C&tag=stuartaken-21 Sub-titled ‘A Dottie Manderson Mystery’, this is the first in a series, and introduces the eponymous heroin through a fascinating tale set in England in the 1930s. This ‘cosy crime’ novel, with its measure of burgeoning romance, is a good read; something to entertain and satisfy in front of a burning log fire in …
Continue reading Night and Day, by Caron Allan: #BookReview.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B0749NW6W8&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_qMbkAbQM8TNAS&tag=stuartaken-21 Last week I reported I had 11,985 words. As a result of the notes I made, I’ve now added another 3 characters to the cast of players (I need to add another 5 for future chapters, but I already know their names and have an idea of their natures and ambitions, so I only …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
How to be a Fantastic Writer, by Danuta Reah & Penny Grubb: #BookReview.
https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B076QFZY9S&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_YHalAb3WREYPG&tag=stuartaken-21 Subtitled ‘A Handbook for Writers of Commercial Fiction’, this book is precisely what it says it is. As a reader, I’ve tended to shy away from what I saw as ‘commercial’ fiction, but, in practice, I now realise I’ve actually read a good deal of it. As a writer, my fiction veers toward the …
Continue reading How to be a Fantastic Writer, by Danuta Reah & Penny Grubb: #BookReview.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Dare I say it? Have I scaled the final barrier to creating the first draft? Last week I reported I had 11,985 words. I also noted that certain details were missing from my memory and I needed to read the first two books again to aid my failing powers of recall. I’ve now done that …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
Naked Good Reads, by Gisela Hausmann: #BookReview.
https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B075R4VPNB&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_0NalAb4XD8Z81&tag=stuartaken-21 Subtitled ‘How to Find Readers’, this is another of Hausmann’s writing books crammed with common sense and down-to-earth advice. First, I must pose a question: ‘If you’re a writer, do you belong to Goodreads?’ And, if you don’t, a supplementary question: ‘Why not?’ Goodreads may boast a membership of ‘only’ 65 million, but …
Continue reading Naked Good Reads, by Gisela Hausmann: #BookReview.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
I fear I missed this update last week. Put it down to a mixture of advancing years and a rather busy schedule: I have. So, currently I’m at 11,985 words, which, given I had a target of 10,000 for today is a pleasing result. It’s always a bit slow for a pantster at the start …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
It hasn’t been the most productive week. But I’ve made some progress. Still having issues with my Mac following the corruption of the OS and installation of Lightroom 6 by Adobe. I have a lot of photographs; the current count is 17,661. Some of these, for Picfair, are close to 30MB each. Lightroom has a …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Share this:
Sink: Old Man’s Tale, by Perrin Briar: #BookReview.
This book, listed as science fiction/fantasy, is an odd mix of parable, analogy, political comment and adventure. The style of writing falls mostly under the ‘tell’ rather than ‘show’ label, which makes for a strangely disconnected read for much of the time. There’s a transition from the beginning, set on terra ferma in Australia, and …
Continue reading Sink: Old Man’s Tale, by Perrin Briar: #BookReview.
Share this:
Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
So it begins! The first 1100 words are written, at last. The Fates thought they’d stymied me with various barriers placed in the way of creation, but they underestimated my sheer bloody-mindedness. So, medical issues and appointments, computer failures, and unsatisfactory phone lines apart, I’ve actually made a start on the new book. Whilst straining …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Stuart Aken 