Category: Author

Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 44.

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. Equal to one another: Wordy! e.g. The authors were equal to one another in terms of books published, but she was a better writer. Try: The authors …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 43.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Grammar, Word Choice

We writers often share ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim your writing. Readers will value the absence of redundancies and flabby expressions. Emergency situation: Situation is extraneous here, so we can manage without it. e.g. They have an emergency situation at the flower festival; all the petals are falling off! …

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The Red Room, by Joan Barbara Simon, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, Poetry, Reading, Review

I have never read anything like this. Now, there’s a statement. But what does it mean? This book is subtitled, ‘a portfolio’ and that’s a good description of the range of contents. First, let me advise potential readers that this is material for adults. Those who seek gentle reassurance in romance and the sweet murmurings …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 39.

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

Writers like to share ideas to improve their craft. Here are some ways to trim your writing. Readers will appreciate the removal of these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Desirable benefit: Do you know of an undesirable benefit? I thought not. e.g. What desirable benefit does a racehorse owner obtain from his horse? Try: What …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 38.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Grammar, Word Choice4 Comments

As writers, we generally share ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Descend down: I’m fairly certain it’s not possible to descend in any direction but down, so the qualifier is not needed. e.g. The pirate captain forced …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 37.

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

As writers, we generally share ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing these common redundancies and flabby expressions. Depreciate in value: Can something depreciate in anything other than some form of value? I can’t think of anything, but by all means educate me. e.g. …

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Cut The Fat; Make Your Writing Lean: #Tip 36.

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

We writers generally enjoy sharing ideas to improve our craft. Here are some ways to trim our writing. Readers will appreciate us removing these common redundancies and flabby expressions. The recent celebration of love via St. Valentine’s Day, that tacky, commercialised occasion much promoted by florists and the sellers of cards and chocolates, prompted me …

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A Walk on the Slightly Wild Side

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer7 Comments

Life in a forest can be so rewarding. Valerie and I moved to the Forest of Dean just over a year ago and began exploring our new home area almost at once. But we’ve kept largely to the laid down paths provided by the Forestry Commission and those that have been made by dog walkers …

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Enchantment in Morocco, by Madeleine McDonald, Reviewed.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Fiction, Review1 Comment

Madeleine McDonald’s book is a traditional romance set in an unusual location. Told from the points of view of the two main protagonists, the story reveals secrets about both that neither are aware of in each other. The clash of cultures and personal histories makes the possible resolution of this romance uncertain until the very …

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