Category: Creative Writer

The Words Have Escaped!

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Literature, Progress8 Comments

I decided last year to spend time away from creating fiction. Why? Like all human faculties, although the creative function benefits from use, it also sometimes needs rest to be refreshed.So, what did I do? I wrote a few posts for a platform called Medium. You can find those here, if you’re curious. I also …

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#ScenicSaturday 25/Feb/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography2 Comments

I share these pictures, from February (though not this year), to show . This shot, from 28th February 2021, depicts a steep climb up a path that dissects the slope of a narrow valley carrying a small stream. Most of the trees here are larches, and buzzards have nests near the tops of a couple. …

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#ScenicSaturday 18/Feb/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography2 Comments

I share these pictures, from February (though not this year), to show . This shot, from 2021, depicts a view from one of the surfaced roads that follow old tramways and railway lines through the Forest of Dean. It’s many years since that industrial work ceased, although there remain a tiny number of free mines. …

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#ScenicSaturday 11/Feb/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography6 Comments

I share these pictures, from February (though not this year), to show . This shot is from 2020 and shows a fairly steep valley that runs down to a brook. The trees here are mostly native oaks, but the greenery is almost entirely ivy at this time of the year. The remnants of bracken can …

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Enduring Love by Ian McEwan: #BookReview

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Literature, opinion, Reading, Review7 Comments

A thriller written by a master of the language. Not for the faint-hearted or those lacking in education, this story relates the series of events that lead up to the stalking of the main character by a seriously disturbed and potentially violent would-be lover. The stalker is obsessive and deluded and follows the pattern of …

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#ScenicSaturday 04/Feb/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Nature, Photography11 Comments

I share these pictures, from February (though not this year), to show . This shot is from 2020 and shows the brook that flows through the beaver enclosure. They were introduced to help reduce the flooding caused by the brook that flows through the village. So far, that seems to be working well. The area …

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Mostly Harmful, by Michael Paulkovich: #BookReview.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Literature, opinion, question, Reading, Review11 Comments

Subtitled ‘1001 Things Everyone Should Know About RELIGION’, this is a piece of work, as the subtitle says, everyone should read.That it is a scholarly work is indicated by the comprehensive bibliography, index and accompanying notes, which take up around 28% of the publication. The author lightens a heavy subject by being occasionally a little …

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#ScenicSaturday 28/Jan/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography9 Comments

These pictures are from January, though not this year. I share them here to show .This shot is from the Forest of Dean, taken on an afternoon walk in 2020 as mist slowly cleared from the valley where a small brook flows. Frost remained from the previous evening, dusting the leaves of wild flowers still …

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Boys, Belles, Bikes, and Bells.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography10 Comments

I just posted this piece to Medium. In a forest criss-crossed by tracks and trails of many different sorts, three types of users enter for their exercise, entertainment, and escape from the troubles of the world. Pedestrians vary from the agile runner in search of challenges, through dog walkers exercising their pets, groups sharing the …

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#ScenicSaturday 21/Jan/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography10 Comments

These pictures are from January, though not this year. I share them here to show .This shot is from the Forest of Dean and was taken with my second-hand iPhone in 2022. I love the way beech saplings cling to their autumn leaves throughout winter and shed them only as new leaf buds burst in …

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#ScenicSaturday 14/Jan/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography5 Comments

These pictures are from January, though not this year. I share them here to show .From the Forest of Dean, this photo, taken in 2020, depicts afternoon mist lit by the sun’s rays. # Please comment, like, and share these to spread the joy of natural beauty to as many people as possible. It might …

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Contagious Tales, Edited by Andrew Simms: #BookReview.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Nature, Poetry, Reading, Review2 Comments

176 pages.22 modern folk tales. Alan Rusbridger, former editor of The Guardian and now editor of Prospect magazine remarks, ‘These stories matter because they help us grasp a world that is seemingly out of control, and imagine what steps we can take to make things better.’ This anthology is subtitled ‘22 modern folk tales in …

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#ScenicSaturday 07/Jan/2023

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography3 Comments

These pictures are from January, though not this year. I share them here to show .From Wales, this one shows the sunset over Caerphilly Mountain. I shot it in January 2019 after a trip to Caerphilly Castle with our daughter and her then boyfriend (now husband) who were on a visit from their home in …

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We Walked 1114 Miles in 2022.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography13 Comments

Coastal Path in North Yorkshire For a few years, I’ve subscribed to Country Walking magazine, which features articles, photos, and detailed maps of real interest to those who walk in the UK. Each year they run a challenge ‘Walk 1,000 Miles’. We’ve participated for 2 years now. In 2022 we completed 1,114.8 miles. Valerie’s 70 …

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#ScenicSaturday 31/Dec/2022

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography9 Comments

These pictures are from December, though not this year. I share them here to show .From the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, this one shows a small portion of the brook that eventually flows through the village to join the River Wye, which forms a border with Wales. This particular part of the forest is …

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