Yesterday was my birthday (68, for those who care) and Valerie and I had planned a visit to a local feature I’ve wanted to photograph for a while. The weather, however, had different plans. The morning forecast was pretty dire, with predicted heavy rain and the possibility of thunderstorms. Not ideal weather for the 9-mile …
Category: Creative Writer
Ideas and Inspiration for Fantasy and Science fiction Writers, by James Hutchings, Reviewed.
This resource is remarkably extensive and varied. There are articles on strange human behaviours, odd customs and traditions, peculiar animal behaviour, secret societies and events, curses, unusual illnesses, myths, fakes, religious peculiarities, odd individuals and many other topics. This isn’t a book to sit and read, but a research and inspiration tool to use for …
Searching for the Right Words? Tip #9
Hoping to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love? Or, perhaps your story needs the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “We went to the second hand bookshop in …
Searching for the Right Words? Tip #8
Hoping to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love? Or, perhaps your story needs the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “She’d gained confidence and was becoming an attractive …
Research Done: Re-Writing Begun!
Following on from my post on research a couple of days ago, I thought I’d quickly update you with progress so far. I started what is effectively a re-write, rather than an edit, on Saturday. It was late in the day when I began, but I was determined to get something down, something started as …
Research or Write? That is the Question.
How much research should a novelist undertake before setting out on the creative journey? How much should be done before editing to produce the final work? These are questions that probably occur to most of us at some time during the writing process. I was inspired to visit these questions this week when I finally …
Searching for the Right Words? Tip #7
Hoping to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love? Or, perhaps your story needs the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “I watched the road as it took us …
Searching for the Right Words? Tip #6
Want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Example: “I had only ever seen a television briefly …
The Bridport Prize Anthology 2015, Reviewed.
I bought a copy of this paperback to see what sort of work might win the prizes in this much respected annual contest for writers. I’m intending to enter this year, so I wanted to discover what quality and style of work is considered good enough. Each year, the judges for the three categories of …
Continue reading The Bridport Prize Anthology 2015, Reviewed.
Searching for the Right Words? Tip #5
Want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. “I woke up on my back, looking up at …
Fear of Dying, by Erica Jong, Reviewed.
I was introduced to Fear of Dying by a friend after I’d read and reviewed Erica Jong’s Fear of Flying. Inevitably, there’s a temptation to compare, which I’ll attempt to resist. I’m of the same generation as the author, though a few years younger, so I’ve lived through the years she’s experienced and understand many …
Searching for the Right Words? Tip #4
Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse their fear, romance them with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. I started out this series with the …
A Walk in the PuzzleWood from the Movies.
Valerie and I have often wondered about a place called Puzzlewood that lies close to Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, about 5 miles from our home. We decided to give the place a visit for her birthday, yesterday. It has been used as a location for scenes in Dr Who, Merlin, Arthur, Starwars and is considered …
Searching for the Right Word? Tip #3
Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse fear, romance with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Delicate Delicate is an adjective with many subtly different …
Searching for the Right Word? Tip #2
Do you want to inspire readers with joy, arouse fear, romance with love, or does your story need the reader to sink into despair along with your protagonist? This set of posts looks at ways of influencing mood by selecting the ‘right’ words for the job. Abundance: Listed in Roget’s under the header, Productiveness (noun), …

