Subtitled, ‘23 tales of Wolds and rails’, this book of shorts contains a veritable trainload of charming stories. There are histories, romances, memoirs, ghosts, crime, and even some science fiction and fantasy displayed in this box of delights. Although each story has a different author, there’s unity of approach and style that makes the volume …
Continue reading Dreaming of Steam, An Anthology from Fantastic Books Publishing, Reviewed.
Some help for writers who want to make their work more interesting, varied, accurate and effective by using the best words. Also providing language learners with insights into some peculiarities of the English language. A good thesaurus gives alternatives for the idea of a word, but not all of these are true synonyms: context is …
Continue reading Looking for the Best Word? Tip #37
It’s been a funny old week. A few unrelated events have disturbed the intended plain sailing of the rewrite. And, yesterday was my birthday. A fun day spent at the local hospital in the morning, where two lovely ladies in their uniforms probed various orifices and inserted implements of torture in an attempt to resolve …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Poetry can be sublime, complex, evocative, tantalising, inspiring, provoking, sensual, thoughtful, engaging and many other things. AM Roselli’s poems manage to fit all these qualities. I first encountered AM’s remarkable poetry and artwork via her website, anntogether.com, to which I was directed by another friend online. I was engaged at once. This is a woman …
Continue reading love of the monster, by AM Roselli, Reviewed.
A very human story of one man’s relentless search for a way of life that will suit his view of what a man’s life should be. Culture, religion, philosophy and morality all impact on the story, which has a Muslim protagonist, Omar, living in India, where his beliefs are in the minority. There are lessons …
Continue reading The Polygamist, by William Irvine, Reviewed.
Help for writers wishing to make their work more interesting, varied, accurate and effective by using the best words, and providing language learners with insights into some oddities of the English language. A good thesaurus gives alternatives for the idea of a word, but not all are true synonyms: context is vital. One way to …
Continue reading Looking for the Best Word? Tip #36
Halfway through the major re-write, and a good many story elements yet to change. That’s the result of working as a pantster: plot develops as the story is created, and that impacts on parts already written. It’s particularly influential on the denouement on this occasion, since I had a ‘light bulb’ moment during an interrupted …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
This surprising book exudes the author’s enduring sense of wonder and delight at the natural world. Such qualities, when demonstrated by a leading academic, who is also a well-loved and respected TV presenter, can motivate and inspire. I hope many non-scientists read this book. Not an ‘easy’ read, it demands attention and concentration. But it …
Continue reading Forces of Nature, by Professor Brian Cox, Reviewed.
Editing has started! So far, I’m halfway through chapter 3 with the major re-write. But, prior to that, I’d reduced the ‘story’ element of the editing notes from 20 to 12 items, and dealt with 15 of the other notes I’d made whilst writing/re-reading the first draft. I’ve also made progress on the drawing I’m …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Writing is such an odd occupation, requiring peculiar minds combined with unusual personalities. All writers are weird; that’s a given. We know we’re strange, some of us peculiar to the point of near insanity, others merely eccentric. We’re definitely an odd bunch. But there’s a strange beauty, a wonderful schizophrenia about writing, especially when the …
Continue reading Perils and Pleasures of Penmanship.
Help for writers who want to make their work more accessible, interesting, varied, accurate and effective by using the best words. The series also provides language learners with insights into the oddities of the English language. A good thesaurus provides alternatives for the idea of a word, but not all are true synonyms: context is …
Continue reading Looking for the Best Word? Tip #34
Easter, and my wife, Valerie’s, birthday occurred in the last seven days, so progress has been interrupted. Valerie reached a ‘significant’ age, so I took her away for the day and night and we didn’t return home until this evening, after a smashing short break. Of course, I did absolutely nothing on the book during …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
Help here for writers who want to make their work more accessible, interesting, varied, accurate and effective by using similar and dissimilar words. The series also provides language learners with some insights into the oddities of the English language. A good thesaurus provides alternatives for the idea of a word, but not all are true …
Continue reading Looking for the Best Word? Tip #33
What a tremendous book this is. Subtitled, ‘A Brief History of Tomorrow’, this follow-up to ‘Sapiens’ confirms the author’s mastery of deep research combined with an intelligence that permits him to see the world as a whole. I selected this book to read now as I’m at the initial editing stage of a science fiction …
Continue reading Homo Deus, by Yuval Noah Harari, Reviewed.
A busy few days. But I’m now approaching the point where I can actually begin the editing process. So, what have I been doing this past week? Well, I visited 81 different website posts to consult them on various relevant topics. Some of those were just a few paragraphs, others a few pages, with much …
Continue reading Progress on the WIP: #SciFi in the Making.
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Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 