My desk during editing. If you write by the seat of your pants, you’re a pantster, as opposed to those who write a story from a structured plan; they’re plotters. Both methods have upsides and downsides, and both have devotees, some of whom can be unnecessarily scathing of those in the opposite camp. I’ve been …
Continue reading Perils of the Pantster.
I read this short story by the famous playwright in the hope it would prove a better read than his ‘The Birthday of the Infanta’. My hope was based on ‘The Sphinx Without a Secret’ and ‘The Selfish Giant’, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, this moral tale is similar to the ‘Infanta’, in …
Continue reading The Fisherman and His Soul, by Oscar Wilde: #BookReview.
Very definitely a story of its time. It’s intended for children, but I seriously doubt many modern kids would read this. There are moral lessons buried here, but they are largely lost in the unnecessarily detailed descriptions of the riches of the royal family featured. Some of these are effectively lists of luxury items and …
Continue reading The Birthday of the Infanta, by Oscar Wilde: #BookReview.
On the 1st of the month I remind followers here that the creative writing contest table has been updated. (I update it several times each month and I’ll be adding more details in the next few days, but this reminder is posted just once!) If you’d like to be reminded by email, please click the …
Continue reading Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated
What do you know about the war(s) in Afghanistan? This remarkable story of courage, extremism, intolerance, loyalty, betrayal and love will tell you so much.The ‘silent’ heroes of the title are the sniffer dogs employed by American Marines in their hunt for IEDs (improvised explosive devices, if you didn’t know). But this story is about …
Continue reading Silent Heroes, by Patricia Furstenberg: #BookReview.
On the 1st of every month I remind followers of this blog the creative writing contest table has been updated. (I update it several times each month and I’ll be adding more details in the next few days, but this reminder is posted just once!) If you’d like to be reminded by email, please click …
Continue reading Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated
124 pages Dystopian Science Fiction This science fiction novella is listed under the ‘dystopian’ tag. However, it contains the currently essential ingredient, hope, so leaves the reader in an uplifted mood after a journey through some pretty dire times. It’s a well-written piece, with very few editing needs. Most importantly (to me, anyway) it’s easy …
Continue reading Dust & Lightning, by Rebecca Crunden: #BookReview.
We’re all (well, most of us, anyway) stuck at home and looking for something to pass the time in a worthwhile manner. My publisher, Fantastic Books Publishing, always gives 10% of profits to charities nominated by the authors. In this rather unusual time, he’s decided to donate funds instead to the NHS Charities Together, an …
Continue reading Want to Support Our Great NHS Workers?
312 pages Dark comedy-thriller. This book is listed as a dark comedy thriller. I agree with the darkness and thriller aspects, but the comedy escaped me. I was, however, engaged by the characters, the romance, and the story, regardless of its plot holes and occasional slips into the ludicrous. Perhaps it was that part that …
Continue reading Revenge of the Elders of Zion, by Dan Zofer: #BookReview.
373 pages Time Travel/Science Fiction/Alternative History Thoughtful, engaging science fiction with a real handle on a scientific topic is less common than might be expected, bearing in mind the name of the genre. But Overstrike is a great example of how it can be done well. Looking at themes of free will and ethics, and …
Continue reading Overstrike, by CM Angus: #BookReview.
For today’s weekly creative post, I’m giving you a bit of flash fiction. Considering how many people are caring for others in the current climate, I thought a touch of gentle humour on the topic might be appropriate. Enjoy! # Steps Every time! Can’t the old fool decide? If he’d make up his mind, I …
Continue reading Steps: Flash Fiction
389 Pages Literary Fiction. All serious works of fiction should carry at least one underlying message. Some manage this with such subtlety it barely makes a conscious impression on those not seeking it, others blare it out loudly, covering their story with a condescending layer of preaching. Many lie somewhere in between; a reasonable balance …
Continue reading Somebody Else’s Troubles, by J.A. English: #BookReview.
389 pages YA/Science Fiction If you enjoy science fiction packed with action, humour and credible characters, but overlain with emotional content to make you care what happens to those characters, this is for you. So many scifi thrillers concentrate on plot, action, with little attention given to the players. This book contains all the elements …
Continue reading Nexus, by Joshua Grant: #BookReview.
On the 1st of the month I remind followers of this blog the creative writing contest table has been updated. (I update it several times during each month, but I post this reminder comes just once!) You can access the table through the ‘Resources’ page, here. Many contests are free to enter and offer great …
Continue reading Creative #Writing #Contests Table Updated
383 pages First Contact Science Fiction/Horror Tense. Taut. Engaging. Absorbing. It happens to all of us, and those with imagination are especially vulnerable: the situation and/or location carry some element of unfamiliarity. There, in the shadows under the tree, near the open gate, behind the stone wall, we see, or think we see, from the …
Continue reading Periphery, by Michael Winter: #BookReview.
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Antidote to the Novel
Stuart Aken 